


When my love reaches out to me

by WildestHeart493



Series: When my love reaches out to me [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Sam Wilson, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Beta Tony Stark, Canon-Typical Violence, Civil War Team Captain America, Darcy Lewis is the fandom bicycle and I love it, F/M, Feral Behavior, Feral Bucky Barnes, I apparently made him a bit more shady than I intended, Omega Darcy Lewis, Pack Dynamics, Pregnancy, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Darcy Lewis, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Team Cap - Freeform, Thaddeus Ross is an asshole, Tony Stark critical, WinterShock - Freeform, and gets the shit beaten out of him jejejeje
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27086170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildestHeart493/pseuds/WildestHeart493
Summary: Steve was fully prepared to go to Bucharest to bring in his dear old friend, he didn't expect much but violence when he got there.....But he wasn't expecting to find that Bucky was in the company of a pregnant mate.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis
Series: When my love reaches out to me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011378
Comments: 38
Kudos: 364





	When my love reaches out to me

**Author's Note:**

> Well this sure was a trip to write, a year long trip to be exact. This plot bunny has been sitting in my head for a long time and have been writing it for just as long [Go and ask Seibelsays, they'll tell ya] and I'm honestly surprised there aren't any more fics of this sort.  
> Also thank you Seibel for all the help you offered me, while I did nothing but nearly spoil the whole story to you.

Steve felt the tension in his shoulders rise as soon as he ended the call with Natasha, tersely making his way back inside the coffee shop to join Sam. He meant what he told her, every word of it, even if it hurt to say it. Steve knew it would end in disaster if average human officers went after Bucky, and that they were unlikely to come out of it alive, if his dear friend was beyond reason.

A sense of unease swelled in his chest as flashes of their last encounter came to his mind unwillingly: The guttural growling and the bared teeth Bucky displayed once that muzzle was removed _‘They had him muzzled for a reason’_. The adrenaline pumping through his veins as his friend stalked him like he were prey. The spitting snarling _“You’re my mission!”_ as he restrained him by the throat, Bucky’s near success when his abnormally sharp teeth came close to his jugular, ready to tear his throat open. 

He shook the unpleasant memories away, silently taking a seat beside Sam. Pulling down his cap as he thought through their next plan of action. 

Sam leisurely took a slow bite out of his meal and gave his friend a thoughtful look. He let out a resigned sigh at the expression on his friend’s face, already entirely aware of what they were about to do next, “Nat told you to stay out of it? Might have a point, you know.”

“He’d do it for me.” 

“1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we considered all our options. The people that shoot you, usually wind up shooting at me.” The two alphas both tensed and looked up when someone sat by Steve’s side, only relaxing to find it was Sharon.

The female beta set some folders onto the table, and gave them a troubled look, “Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everyone thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym, most of it is just noise, except for this.….” She slid a folder in Steve’s direction, giving him a look, “You should really take a good reading through the last reports.”

They both leaned forward to read through the reports, their faces morphing in ill concealed shock as they looked at her in disbelief, “You’re joking, right?” Sam’s eyebrows raised to his hairline in perplexion.

Sharon merely shrugged, “Afraid not, multiple reports claim to have seen him courting a young woman for nearly over a year, going to the market together, walking her to her place of work, picking her up. Their estimations on her pregnancy go to about five to six months.” She nervously pulled at her jacket and gave Steve a serious look, “You realize this is gonna make things a whole lot harder right? An Alpha with a pregnant mate is hardly reasonable, and with that Alpha being Barnes. Those files are classifying him as feral and all.….” 

_‘Yeah, I recall too clearly’_ Steve hardly flinched at the thought, but judging by the concerned looks on their faces, it was clear they knew where his thoughts had strayed off to, “All the more reason for it to be me to go after him.” 

For a moment, Sharon studied his face, almost as if trying to figure out where his thoughts lie, “Well, My boss expects a briefing pretty much now….so that’s all the head start you’re gonna get.”

“Thank you.” He gave her a grateful smile.

She nodded with a brief smile, which soon gave way with warning, “You’re gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight.” 

* * *

Bucky could practically hear the blood pumping through his veins as he turned around the corner, trying to push back the panic that had lodged at his throat. Jogging towards the nearest phone booth, he had to keep himself from ripping the door off its hinges in his haste, grunting in agitation as he closed it behind him. 

The agitated alpha took in his surroundings as he inserted coins. He found he was several streets away from the apartment, surely he could cut time if he ran and went for essentials, but that would surely only draw unwanted attention. He dialed down a familiar phone number with a huff, impatiently tapping metal fingers against the phone as it rang, “Come on, sweetheart. Pick up.” He pleaded under his breath.

 _“ Hello?_ _”_ Bucky would have sighed in relief if the voice didn’t sound so agitated and worried, “ _Bucky, is that you?_ ” 

“Yeah Darce, it’s me. I’m guessing by the sound of your voice, you’ve already read the newspaper?” 

He heard the sound of rustling paper at the other end of the phone, _“ I saw it on the news. Babe, what the hell is going on? They’re accusing you of bombing the UN_.” 

Bucky’s grip on the phone tightened as he surveyed his surroundings, trying to tamper his growing unease, “Doll, you gotta believe me when I tell you that I didn’t do it.” 

_“ Of course you didn’t do it! You were with me the entire time this shitfest happened._ ”

His hand reached up to grip metal, closing his eyes in relief at her confirmation. The relief was short lived, however, when reality came crashing back down on him, “Darcy, they’re gonna come looking for me.” Bucky felt nothing but anger as he inserted more money into the coin slot. Anger that he couldn’t keep this peace, this life he’s made for himself with his soulmate, intact; he knew it would have happened sooner or later, he just half expected it to be because of Hydra finally catching up to him.….or Steve.

 _“ .......Then you gotta get out of here._ ”

Thick brows drew together in confusion, “Me? I think you mean _we_.” 

_“ Bucky, anytime you waste coming for me, is more time for them finding you. Go without me, I’ll be fine._ ”

He snarled, and felt metal denting under his grip, “I’m not leaving you!” Bucky could hear the footsteps of passersby scampering away from the phone booth, giving the angry alpha a wide berth. 

_“ You won’t, not for long, that is. Just until things quiet down and then you can come back for me._ ” 

Bucky clenched his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to whine in distress, “Darce, we don’t know how long that’ll take. I can’t just leave you for some undetermined amount of time, not with you and the baby at risk.” 

He couldn’t quite help the quirk of his lip at her derisive snort, _“ I think you underestimate my ability to take care of myself, hotstuff. I got a friend around who’ll help me if I need it, I’ll just feed them some little white lie that you had to head out cause of some family situation to take care of or something_.” 

“I can’t.”

 _“ You have to. I rather you keep your freedom, than risking all of it for me._ ” 

A rueful smile stretched across his face, “Sweetheart, I don’t think you’re entirely aware of just how much I’m willing to risk for you,” his head hung in defeat, feeling overwhelming anxiety at the thought of leaving his girl behind, “I will come back for you, you know that, right?” 

_“ I do._ ”

“......You’re still willing to have your life uprooted to go on the run with me?”

 _“ Babe, I did tell you once that I’ll always be there so long as you’ll have me. So you’re pretty much stuck with me._ ”

“You know that I love you?” 

_“ I know that too,_ ” Pale blue eyes crinkled as he smiled tenderly, practically envisioning the giddy smile on her beautiful face, _“ And I_ _love you too._ ”

He didn’t get a chance to say anything else as the call ended, only leaving him with the sound of the phone's dial. Bucky considered calling again, before deciding against it, he didn’t know how much time he had before police forces came looking for him. 

Reluctantly hanging up the phone back in its place, he picked up his bag of plums. Pulling down his cap as he left the booth, Bucky looked around him, studying the area, and subtly lifted his nose to inhale the air, before taking off for the apartment.

The alpha made it to the apartment building shortly, bounding up the stairs until he froze, picking up a very familiar scent trail. He stalked up the last steps quietly, approaching his apartment door with caution; Bucky couldn’t help but feel his hackles rise as he gently eased the door open, eyes narrowed into slits at the sight of the man in his house, uninvited, _unwanted._ ….

 _‘ Finish the mission_ ’ an undesired thought came to mind, he gritted his teeth and promptly shoved the thought aside. 

He prowled into the room until he was standing by the couch, watching as Steve looked through his and Darcy’s things. Teeth bared instinctively, as the other alpha picked up the pair of booties that had been left on the counter earlier this morning. 

Bucky could notice the exact moment Steve realized he wasn’t alone.

* * *

Steve quietly wandered through the small cluttered apartment, studying intently on all of the things that occupied it, all while keeping his ears open for incoming forces, and Bucky. 

There wasn’t much to look at: There was a tall organizer shelf by the bathroom door that most likely held clothes, a basket full of yarn sitting next to a mismatched couch, notebooks and newspapers were messily piled on an improvised bookshelf, dishes in the sink, a pile of wood that looked to be a crib in progress in the corner by the back door. 

Taking in the small things in the apartment, Steve’s brows creased in discontent. The small apartment looked entirely lived in, too many personal things to make it seem like the place was in the slightest bit temporary, and once again the thought of Bucky never intending to seek him out or reestablish their packbond unwillingly crossed the alpha's mind. He felt anxiety crawl up his throat at the thought of his friend looking to live the rest of his life without him.

He frowned at the tiny pair of baby booties sitting on a lonely notebook on the counter, picking them up and eyeing them before gently setting them aside to focus on the notebook, feeling all the more agitated at the confirmation. 

So the reports were true then: Bucky was in the company of a pregnant mate, and things were gonna get all the more uglier for it. 

He didn’t have much opportunity to go through the notebook, when the air became thick with the scent of an angry, territorial alpha. The supersoldier quickly turned to find Bucky standing behind him, watching him with keen unblinking eyes. The man didn’t look angry, or looked even the slightest bit inclined in attacking him, but even then, Steve’s hand clenched around the strap of his shield as the tension thickened.

An idle alpha was not a safe one, especially one with Bucky’s capabilities and mindset. 

For all he knew, in Bucky’s eyes, he was probably just a strange alpha in his home, threatening the safety of his and his pregnant mate’s nest. If the situation wasn’t so dour, Steve would be reprimanding himself for crossing such sensitive lines. 

_“ Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces approaching from the south._ ”

“Understood,” He kept his eyes focused on his old friend, quietly taking in the state of his well being: Bucky looked healthier, skin no longer clammy and pale. His hair wasn’t so lank and greasy from what he could see of it, and was packing a lot more muscle than when he last saw him. Steve wondered if that healthy complexion was due to the mate’s influence, “Do you know me?” 

Bucky just lifted one broad shoulder in a half shrug, looking entirely nonchalant despite smelling so angry and defensive, “You’re Steve Rogers, I read about you in the museum.” 

_“ They’ve set the perimeter._ ” 

The alpha tried calmly approaching his friend, only to freeze in his attempts at the curl of the older alpha’s lip, ready to bare teeth like a cornered animal, “I know you’re nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be. But you’re lying.”

Bucky merely straightened his shoulders and spine, exposing every last bit of his large bulk that he might have been hiding to remain unnoticeable, “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore,” he took two eerily calm steps towards him and growled, eyes narrowing to show his displeasure, “Now tell your winged friend to beat it and get out of here.” 

_“ They’re entering the building._ ”

Steve swallowed down a lump at the blatant rejection and huffed, deciding to ignore it for more important matters, “Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you in alive.” 

His friend’s shoulders softly slumped in dejection, as if he were already aware of this fact, “That’s smart. Good strategy.”

_‘ Bucky doesn’t know they’re after his mate too_. _He thinks wherever she is, she’s safe._ ’ Steve realized, bracing himself for any outlash he might receive in delivering the information, “They’re going to go after your mate as well. As far as they’re concerned, she’s a willing accomplice.”

At that, Bucky stomped forward and snarled, eyes briefly flashing gold, and Steve could not keep himself from stumbling back in shock at the feral display, “Tell them to leave her out of this!” He snapped, baring sharp teeth in his anger. 

“I don’t have that power, Bucky.”

 _“ They’re on the roof. I’m compromised._ ”

The two alphas tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps. Steve tensed further at the look in Bucky’s eyes, large frame tensing with preparation, looking just about ready to deal with the incoming soldiers with deadly force himself, “This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Bucky.” He tried to reason. 

He clenched a hand around the strap of his shield and twitched as Bucky slowly peeled off his gloves, exposing his metal hand, “It always ends in a fight.” Bucky grimly murmured, stoically eyeing his metal hand, fingers curling into a clawed gesture, Steve’s head snapped toward the front door at the sound of banging. His ears pricked at the eerie familiar sound of grinding metal, and could only sigh, ready for the inevitable.

 _“ Five seconds._ ”

“You pulled me from the river. Why?” With the very likely chances of this encounter ending badly, at the very least he could get some answers.

Bucky stared at him, pointedly giving nothing away to what he might be thinking, “I don’t know.”

 _“ Three seconds!_ ” 

“Yes, you do.” He didn’t flinch at the glare his comment garnered him.

 _“ Breach! Breach! Breach!!_ ”

A grenade came crashing through the window and landed at Bucky’s feet with a soft thud. With little hesitation, he kicked it at Steve’s direction, tensely watching as the other alpha quickly smothered it with his shield. 

Not a moment passed when the command, _“ Shoot the door!_ ” rung through the air, giving them enough warning of what was coming next.

The sound of what could only be a battering ram banged against the door and Steve hardly had a chance to reach out and try to shield Bucky, when the man lifted the mattress to protect himself just as a barrage of bullets shot through the window. 

Pushing the bed aside, he swiftly turned towards the table and the dark haired alpha flung the small table towards the front door with a jerk of his arm, effectively blocking it shut from the soldiers outside. 

They two super soldiers tensed as policemen swung in through the window. With furrowed brows, Steve reached out and pulled the rug from underneath one of them, sending them careening to the floor; he paled at the sight of Bucky brutally bashing one of the other policeman’s head into the wall, rendering the man unconscious. 

Noise behind him effectively had Steve setting his focus on the officer behind him. Shielding himself, he grabbed hold of the man’s gun and jerked, only to suddenly have Bucky push the man out the door with a severe kick to the ribs.

He reached out and grabbed Bucky’s shoulder in an attempt to hold him back. 

“Bucky, stop! You’re gonna kill someone.” 

With a harsh jerk on the arm, he found himself slammed onto the floor with a surprised grunt, eyes widening in horror at the metal fist flying to his face. Blinking in surprise to find the other alpha had punched a hole in the ground by his head. 

Steve wearily eyed Bucky as the man sneered down at him and growled, “I’m not gonna kill anyone.” He yanked his hand out, pulling a backpack out along with it and flinged it out the window. 

With a crack of his neck and a snort, Bucky set his sights on the other end of the room just as a fifth intruder came flying in. He immediately lifted his arm to protect himself from flying bullets, refraining from saying anything as the fair haired alpha by his side covered him with his shield, Bucky snarled in frustration as another came in, he gripped onto Steve’s shoulder and lifted him up - ignoring the man’s squawking - throwing him at the officer, watching as they flew out the door with a crash. 

With that, he set his sights on the remaining one in the room. Deflecting bullets with his metal hand, Bucky quickly closed the distance between them, roughly grabbing the man by the nape of his neck and bashing his head through the improvised shelf and onto the floor. 

When that proved ineffective, as the man jerked to his feet. Bucky picked up a stray cinder block and threw it at him, breaking it onto the officer’s chest and flinging him back, shattering the door behind him and falling into the bathroom unconscious. 

Something soft and yellow in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Looking down at his feet, Bucky found, through rubble and broken glass: They were the pair of booties Darcy had recently finished knitting for their pup. Kneeling down to pick them up, Bucky gently dusted off debris and reverently held them in his hands, once again in awe by their diminutive size.

His face twisted into a glare at the sound of more upcoming forces. Without a second thought, Bucky eased the small articles into his pocket before turning towards the door, ready to fight his way out if he had to. 

* * *

Steve was tense as he kept his arm held out, shielding Bucky from the troops closing in on them, surrounding them and the man in the black suit. His body tensed further when War Machine landed in front of them with a loud thump, weapons charged and raised at them. 

“Congratulations, Cap. You’re a criminal.” Steve didn’t bother saying anything against the accusation, glancing back only to find Bucky looking at Rhodey like he was considering the best way to disable the suit, like a predator eyeing his prey for any weakness, “James Barnes, stand down, now.” 

Bucky wasn’t given much other option when he was pushed down onto his knees, left to glare at them all from his kneeled position. And Steve didn’t struggle when someone came to pull his hands behind his back, keenly watching as the man in the sleek suit retracted his claws, and slowly pulling off his helmet, to reveal the Prince of Wakanda. 

Eyeing them dispassionately.

“Your highness.” 

The prince barely bothered Rhodey a glance, eyes firmly fixated on Bucky.

Steve winced when Bucky was then shoved onto the ground, two officers harshly pulling his arms behind his back. He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding deep in his chest as he exchanged looks with Sam, feeling like there was gonna be another cause for potential violence.

It came to him what it was, when he turned his head to see another police vehicle pull up, could barely make out the scent of a pregnant omega that came along with it, and tensed as Bucky froze up in the corner of his eye. Bucky’s nostrils were flaring, and his eyes widened in horror as he took in the sweet scent Steve himself could barely register.

“Bucky.….” 

His attempts to assuage his friend were interrupted when the dark haired alpha started struggling and snarling. His struggles knocked off one of the cops, and two more came in and struggled to keep him down. 

Bucky snarled, flashing his sharp teeth at Rhodey in overwhelming fury, “She had nothing to do with this! LEAVE HER OUT OF IT!!” 

“Barnes, you are in no position to be making demands. Cease your struggling, now.” 

Steve, despite the restraints on him, leaned toward his friend in an attempt to reassure him, at least to keep things from escalating towards a worse turn, “Bucky, please. She’ll be fine, I promise nothing will happen to her. Just stand down.” 

His pleas only earned Steve a harsh guttural sound, and could watch as Bucky continued to struggle against the dog piling. He butted people in the face that got too close to his head, threw most of them off with a jerk of shoulder. Steve barely stopped a gasp of horror from escaping as the alpha snapped his teeth onto a hand that attempted to grab at his neck, any attempts to get him to let go were futile, like a steel trap clamped shut.

Steve was about to attempt to step forward until Rhodey raised his hand and took a shot inches at Bucky’s feet in warning, “Barnes, I’m not gonna ask again. Stand down, final warning.” The only response Bucky gave him was a scathing glare and spat at his feet, but at least he ceased his attempts.

The super soldier had no chance to say anything to appease his old friend as police officers pulled Bucky to his feet, weapons focused firmly on the angered alpha as they pushed him towards a large reinforced van. Steve felt something twist at his chest, feeling despair at the sight of his dear friend desperately gazing back over his shoulder, worriedly trying to catch a glimpse of his mate. 

He quietly let himself be led away, only chancing a glimpse towards the car the girl was being held in. The captain tensed in surprise to find her staring at him, giving him an almost pleading look. Steve could only respond with a silent apology.

* * *

Steve didn’t say anything when they were brought to Germany’s Task Force HQ. He answered anything they asked, and made no complaints when he was ordered to remove his suit. The alpha didn’t see the hide or hair of Sam or Bucky until he was being escorted back towards a white van, ready to be taken to Berlin. Judging by the number of armed soldiers surrounding the heavily reinforced vehicle across the room, he knew where Bucky was.

He and Sam exchanged weary looks as they were guided inside the van along with Prince T’Challa. And could only frown in confusion when the prince slumped his shoulders and hunched over, almost as if he were trying to make himself look smaller and as non threatening as possible.

Any further confusion was dismissed when he realized what had changed the man’s demeanour: The familiar sweet scent was heightened in the enclosed space, and he turned his eyes towards the fence separating them from the girl in front of them. From what he could see of her with her back turned to them, she had long wavy dark hair piled up in a messy bun, exposing the expanse of her slender neck. Her skin was pale, and it only made the odd blemish beneath her ear stand out further.

 _‘ Shaped like a bite mark_ ’ He realized, and Steve did not know what to think of the young woman freely displaying such a private intimate thing. She was also wearing a jacket thrice her size that most likely belonged to Bucky, judging by the heavy musky scent.

Her hands were well within his line of sight, resting on the swell of her stomach, and Steve could only frown at the handcuffs around her slight wrist. 

He couldn’t help but follow the prince’s example, making himself as meek and nonthreatening as possible as he sat down two rows behind her. Noticing as Sam did the same, looking at him with a disconcerted look. Almost as if asking what the officers had been thinking, to put a pregnant omega alone in an enclosed space with three strange alphas…..even with that fence separating them.

 _‘ If this were a different situation, Bucky would probably be breaking out in hives right about now_ ’ He thought sardonically. Given the extent of Bucky’s enhanced senses, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man was currently unsettling the officers around him with loud guttural growling. 

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the young woman snorting, almost as if amused by their collective behaviour in an attempt to make her feel comfortable, “Such kind gentlemen.” 

“Ma’am, pleasure to meet you.”

The young woman glanced over her shoulder to give him an appraising look, “If this were any other day, I’d say I would be ecstatic to be within the same breathing space as Captain America, The Falcon, and actual Royalty. But given the current situation.….” She trailed off with a rueful shrug, “Can’t say there’s much pleasure in it.” 

Tense silence followed, as one would expect with a room full of alphas currently in opposition. Steve silently considered ways to reassure the girl, wondering if he should be bold enough to declare protecting her, like any proper packmate would, as if his packbond with Bucky wasn’t practically null and void at the moment. 

Sam seemed to be on the same trail of thought, judging by the way he eyed her, to raising a brow at the prince’s direction with an impish look in his eyes. Steve was about to warn him off before he opened his mouth. 

“So, you like cats?” 

Steve looked over his shoulder to give him a bemused look, “Sam.”

“What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don’t want to know more?” 

Sam’s snide commentary seemed to garner some merit, if the girl’s smothered chortle was of any indication. He rolled his eyes at Sam's triumphant look, glad at least to find that the girl relaxed somewhat. 

It didn’t last long, however, when prince T’Challa deigned them a response, “The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you.....as both warrior and king.....how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?” 

The high pitched growl he got in response made the three tense alphas turn to look at the omega, finding her to be looking at the prince with steely blue eyes, “He didn’t do it.” 

“You’ll have to forgive me if I find you biased.”

The girl simply rolled her eyes, and continued on as if he hadn't said anything, “He had a 6 hour work shift yesterday, and spent the rest of that day at home with me, brutalizing his thumb trying to build a crib. The trip from Bucharest to Vienna is 11 hours, pal, Bucky couldn’t have possibly gone all the way to Vienna to plant a bomb and be back home on the same day, and sure as hell not on a day that's barely started, either. He may be able to outrun cars, but he’s not the Flash.” 

Steve could only feel disappointment that her statement didn’t bring an ounce of doubt to the man’s eyes, “And yet, he could’ve had the opportunity to go behind your back to place that bomb sooner.”

She merely snorted, “Oh please. These days, he could hardly bring himself to leave for work, much less let me go myself. Dude’s as protective as a mother goose, he likes to hover. And if it was him - which I’m not saying he is - you really think he would have gotten caught on camera? He was called a ghost for a reason,” The defensive omega then turned to look at him, “I’m sorry about your dad, I really am. But you have the wrong guy.” Her words almost sounded like a plea, willing the angry mourning prince to believe her. 

T’Challa remained unmoved, “I will believe your claims when I’m given evidence.”

At that, the woman’s face shuttered into complete blankness, forcing them out from what she might be thinking or feeling. For a moment, Steve wondered if Bucky taught that to her, cause for some reason, he didn’t believe the woman to be stoick by nature. 

“Well your highness, I guess I could hardly blame you. And I’ll feel sorry for you when the day comes you discover you had an innocent man killed.” With that, she turned back in her seat, rubbing a thumb over her belly, probably in an attempt to calm her distressed pup. 

At that, the tension remained. Sam and Steve silently looked to one another, mentally registering the exchange. The only thing Steve could think of was the possibility that Bucky had been framed for the bombing; Sam seemed to have the same trail of thought, silently mouthing, “ _Barnes has an alibi._ ”. Both simultaneously turned their eyes towards the young woman. 

The remainder of the trip was quiet, long, and exhausting until the finally reached the *JCTC headquarters. And Steve is almost glad that Bucky’s mate had spent the majority of the ride sleeping, most likely exhausted from the day’s hectic events. 

She woke up with a disgruntled growl when the SUV jerked to a stop, only to sit up in alarm to take in her new surroundings. Looking up when the door beside her opened and an officer offered her his hand, “Move along now.” 

Steve watched as she took in the facility as they exited the vehicle, and froze when she bristled like an angry cat as they watched as Bucky - restrained and shackled inside a glorified cage - was removed from the van by a forklift. No one felt the need to stop the angry omega as she moved to close the distance between her and her mate, studying the pod with barely restrained outrage before looking up at Bucky with aghast.

“What the fuck is this?” She demanded, hesitating to even touch the thing keeping him from her.

Bucky offered her a rueful smile, “Safety measures, Darce.” The officers around them tensed when the super soldier’s eyes narrowed into slits, lip curled in anger at the sight of her handcuffs.

The woman snorted in disgust, “It’s bullshit, it's what this is. This is an overkill! They’re treating you like you're some wild animal, as if you were gonna bite someone’s head off.” 

“Almost did.” 

“Bucky.”

An officer finally approached the reproachful omega, eyeing the restrained supersoldier wearily as he gently grasped the woman’s arm. Apparently even while heavily shackled and with electric prods keeping him in place, the people around him were walking on eggshells.

“Ma’am, come along.” 

“Bucky, this isn’t fair.”

“I know,” He then gave her an encouraging nod, trying to look as reassuring as he could for his distressed partner, despite his own concerns, “Now go on, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much, sweetheart, it’s not good for you.”

“As if that’s gonna stop me.” She scoffed. Even so, Darcy let the man holding her arm gently pull her away from the pod, and away from her mate. Looking over her shoulder to hold his gaze, big blue eyes filled with concern.

Bucky watched as she was taken away with barely concealed longing until she was well and truly out of sight, leaving him to let out a long exhale in exhaustion with a defeated drop of his head.

Steve quietly watched the whole interaction - feeling that familiar pang in his chest at his friend’s predicament - until Sam gently nudged him forward, towards where Sharon was waiting with a short, graying man, “What’s gonna happen to him?”

“Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.”

Sharon stepped forward and nodded towards the man in an attempt to ease the growing tension, “Captain, this is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.” 

The alpha merely hummed in acknowledgement, eyeing the man before him, “And the girl? What about our lawyer?”

“Lawyer. That’s funny.” The short statured man snorted in amusement, as if there was something particularly funny about the question. Everett didn’t deign answering about the young woman, and Steve felt anger blossom in his chest.

“Are civil rights a joke now?” The alpha quietly demanded, smothering the growl crawling up his throat, intent on keeping his cool. Anger wouldn’t do him any good, and it certainly wasn’t gonna get him anywhere in this situation. 

Everett awkwardly coughed, then turned aside, deciding to dismiss the comment entirely, “See that their weapons are placed in lockup. Oh and, we'll write you a receipt.” 

“I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that.” Sam grumbled under his breath as they followed the man inside. 

Steve looked over his shoulder to find Bucky staring at him intently.

* * *

“So how long do you intend on keeping the pregnant chick under custody? As far as we’re aware: At best, she’s just an innocent bystander unaware of her mate’s activities, at worst, a willing accomplice.” Tony leaned back against the table, intently looking at the live cams on one Darcy Lewis. He winced, thinking about Thor’s potentially thunderous outrage at his _Lightning sister_ being held in custody if he were present for this tense situation. “We don’t have evidence of the Winter Soldier toting her around in his bombing escapade, so.” He trailed off with a shrug, letting the rest speak for itself.

Ross let out a derisive snort, and looked at him with an incredulous raise of a brow, “Oh, we’re not letting go of this one anytime soon, I can assure you of that.” 

Something altogether unpleasant churned in Tony’s gut at the man’s oily tone. The beta shook off the sensation, tightly crossing his arms with a glance at the cams, “And you’re not doing this because?” 

“Do you have any idea what we’re looking at?” The older man asked, sounding and looking almost all too giddy with his gaze fixated on the young woman on the screen. 

“Undeniable proof that Barnes, to this day, continues having astounding taste in women?” It was true, Lewis was a very beautiful woman: Busty, with her long dark wavy hair, big blue eyes and pouty pink lips; one had to wonder how Barnes - in his disastrous state of mind - managed to land such a beauty and keep her long enough to impregnate her.

 _‘ Must be great in bed._ ’ He surmised. 

That earned him a scornful look from the older man, “Stark, you’re a smart man. Do try to use that brain of yours a little more, if you will.” 

“An angry, stubbornly insistent young woman who believes the sun is shining out of her 90 something year old assassin boyfriend’s ass?” 

His persistent impertinence brought the old alpha to growl at him in warning, looking all the more displeased with him, “Pregnant, you obtuse manchild. Sitting there is a woman carrying the Winter Soldier’s - a dangerous super soldier, may I remind you - child. The serum has been lauded for decades, Stark, with little to no success in replicating it. Given Rogers and his war time paramour were not reckless enough to leave behind any surprises.….” Tony had to grimace at the look of frustrated disappointment on the Secretary’s face at the flippant mention of Steve’s relationship with his recently deceased soulmate, Peggy Carter. He hoped to god it never reached Steve’s ears, “We were finally given the chance to discover if it is _inhereditory_.” The man hissed the word with reverence.

Tony cleared his throat and pulled at his cufflinks, a little put off by the man’s unceasing obsession, “Right, so you’re gonna, what? Keep her in a cell for a few more months, and if the little blighter does take after their old man, what then? Wakanda kind of already called dibs on Barnes for the death of their king, if I may remind you,” Lewis was still sitting there, stubbornly silent no matter how many times her interrogators patiently questioned her, blissfully unaware of the fate of her child and mate. 

“There’s always negotiating that can be made.” 

“Okay, say you do convince them to hand over their king’s murderer. What exactly do you plan on doing with him? Keep him nice, and compliant, while you look for some choice candidates to shack it up with him like he was some optimal breeding stock, get you some nice genetically enhanced super babies for future use? That’s kind of on the weird end of things, Ross.” Fucking weird and disgusting, and god was it a relief that the good ole Captain was definitely not here to hear any of it, cause he was pretty sure the man wouldn’t hesitate to punt the creepy old alpha to kingdom come. 

Ross didn’t seem at all offended by his comments, in fact, he seemed amused, like Tony were some simpleton who couldn’t wrap his mind around the grander things, “I assure you, Stark, there are many who would be equally eager for the notion.” 

_‘ You sure those many aren’t Hydra?_ ’ A small vehement voice spat in his mind, tearing that small hole of uncertainty larger. Tony was wondering if he had found himself once again a little over his head for the millionth time in his life. 

The beta let out a sigh, wearily rubbing his hand down his face before lifting his hands in compliant surrender, and slowly started backing away, “Whatever. Better tell the charming little couple about those plans, Ross. Do take a video, I’d love to see their reactions.” He wouldn’t, cause he wasn’t that much of an asshole. Tony didn’t pay any mind to the unimpressed snort that followed, just glad to be rid of the tension that had built up while in the old alpha’s company.

 _‘ Nicely done, Stark. This is the man you are putting your trust in with the Accords, and yet you wonder why the rest of the team is giving you the stink eye._ ’

He found Natasha waiting at the end of the hallway, leaning her shoulder against the wall, looking pensive and put off, “By the looks of that footage, you didn’t get much luck getting anything out of the Mrs.” Tony dryly concluded with a raised brow.

The woman simply shook her head, “Demanded a lawyer, and clamped shut like a steel trap. Just like with the other two who interrogated her.” Natasha gruffly offered with an almost displeased twist of her mouth, quietly wondering to herself just how much of that steely resolve was Barnes' influence. But then she thought back to that last moment, where the young woman had scorned her in her mate's defense and the seed of doubt it planted.….

_The young woman huffed in frustration, “I said it once, and I’ll say it again: Bucky had nothing to do with the bombing. He was at home, with me, the entire time. He hasn’t left Bucharest for the last 15 months, and he sure didn’t have any intention of doing so any time soon.”_

_“Ms. Lewis, there is evidence tha -”_

_“A grainy photo is shitty unreliable evidence, and you know it!” Darcy cut her off with a snarl. Linking her hands over her stomach, she leaned back in her seat and sneered, “Come on, Agent Romanoff, you’re the expert spy here. You can’t honestly tell me that there aren’t ways for people to disguise themselves as someone else, that there aren’t people that have it out for Bucky.”_

_Natasha remained silent because the girl offered two very feasible possibilities, she wasn’t wrong in any case. Barnes certainly has enough enemies - the bloody eliminations of numerous Hydra heads during his revenge spree definitely angered quite a few - for it to be the case…..the question was what their goal was._

_She eyed the angry young woman with consideration, “I’m guessing that would be all. Thank you for your time, Ms. Lewis.” The other woman merely quirked a brow at her, uninterested in offering any common courtesy._

“She’s very adamant that Barnes didn’t do it.” Natasha muttered to herself. 

Tony just scoffed at the admission, “Of course she is. But given the woman is pregnant and all types of biased, I’ll have to take her words with a grain of salt.”

Natasha gave him a frown, not at all approving of his choice of words and implications, but she supposed they had some merit. Darcy Lewis was biased, and there of course stood the notion that the young woman would try to protect her soulmate, partner, and father of her child from imprisonment.….but still.

 _‘ It wouldn’t hurt to look into it._ ’ The redhead thought considerably as she absentmindedly pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against. Heading for the stairs, Natasha looked over her shoulder at Tony, “I’m gonna talk to Carter, do try to not get on anyone's nerves while I’m gone.” 

He simply rolled his eyes, flippantly pointing a finger at her, “I hope you know I resent that.”

* * *

“It really is a small world, dontcha think?” Tony joked as he entered the near barren office, looking towards Steve’s direction, keenly watching as the larger man looked through the glass to the control room, “Your best buddy ending up shacking it up with Thor’s buddy.….” He paused for a few seconds as Steve turned to look at him. Placing his phone on the table, he opened a couple of holographic file windows for the alpha to see, displaying several pictures of a familiar woman, “A one Darcy Lewis, you should have seen her pre-pregnancy: A 40’s pin-up wrapped in a 21st century package, no wonder Barnes was enamored. Heard she was a real spitfire, you know, Th -” 

“Thor’s esteemed _lightning sister_ , Dr. Jane Foster's old intern. I know, I remember Thor’s stories about her, he spoke highly of her.” Steve added, looking up at him with disapproval, “Last I heard, she and Dr. Foster went their separate ways. Ms. Lewis went on to continue her education in Political Science, I’m guessing that’s how she met Bucky.” He concluded with a raised brow.

The older man looked at him with a pout, “No one likes a know-it-all, Cap,” He sniffed, dismissing the conversation entirely, “Well, since you already know so much about your packmate to-be. You wanna see something cool? I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely.” Tony placed a pen case before Steve, “FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most.”

“Some would say it brought our country closer to war.”

The beta quirked his brows at him as he leaned against the table beside his old teammate, “See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here. I'm trying to.....what do you call it? That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?”

Steve sighed, giving him a tired look, “Is Pepper here? I didn’t see her.”

Tony gave him a dismayed look, almost fidgeting on the spot, as if unsure how to answer the man’s inquiry, “We’re kinda - well, not kinda…..”

“Pregnant?” The man guessed, softly smiling up at him and looking ready to congratulate him at a moment's notice. 

A bitter laugh escaped his lips before Tony could stop it, awkwardly scratching at his scruffy cheek with a grimace, “No. Definitely not, Barnes and Lewis’ case of baby fever didn’t travel that far,” His hand traveled upward to rub the back of his neck, “We’re taking a break, it’s nobody’s fault.”

Steve’s eyebrows creased in concern, looking almost apologetic, “I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t know.” 

The concern was merely shrugged off, “A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA.....and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then - I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop, but I don't wanna lose her either. So I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference,” Tony pushed away from the table to pace, not taking any mind to the look on the fair alpha's face, “In her defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work.”

“You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single.” 

Tony couldn’t help but sneer at the comment, sardonically grumbling under his breath, resisting the urge to grip at his hair, and threw Steve a glowering look, “Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you.”

Steve grimaced, broad shoulders dropping in dejection, “I didn’t mean to make things difficult between you two.” The alpha murmured, once again finding himself floundering at the older man’s resentment.

The put off beta rolled his eyes, “I know, because you’re a very polite person.” 

“If I see a situation pointed south.....I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.” He confided, almost keen on steering the discussion away from that sensitive topic. 

“No, you don’t.” 

At that, a thin - almost bitter - smile stretched across Steve’s face, “No, I don’t. Sometimes I -”

“Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth,” and any smile that might have been on the younger man’s face morphed into a severe frown, Tony clicked his tongue, “But I don't wanna see you gone, we need you, Cap. So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign. We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison.….”

“.....And he can have an opportunity to be with that little family of his.” 

Steve frowned thoughtfully, thinking over the current circumstances, and his frown deepened with the thought of Tony’s offer, a niggling voice in his head almost warning him against it. With an agitated sigh, he picked up one of the offered pens, considering them with creased brows; the alpha stood to pace the room before turning to give Tony a look, “I'm not saying it's impossible, but there would have to be safeguards.”

Tony shrugged, face lightening up with relief, pleased to finally be getting somewhere, “Sure! Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated.….” 

At the mention of Wanda’s name, Steve jerked to stare at Tony, his frown somewhat harsher this time around, “Wanda? What about Wanda?” He glowered, feeling a protective urge rise at the thought of his young packmate and Tony’s implications.

The dark haired man waved off his concern, ignoring the growing tension in the room, “She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company.”

The alpha barely resisted the urge to growl, sneering down at the man and shaking his head with disgust and disbelief, “Oh god, Tony! Every time. Every time I think you see things the right way.….”

Raising his hands in confusion, the beta felt his hackles rise at the anger suddenly directed at him, “What? It's a 100 acres with a lap pool. It's got a screening room. There's worse ways to protect people.”

“Protection? Is that how you see this? This isn’t protection, it's internment, Tony.” His teeth gritted, scowling furiously.

“She’s not a US citizen.” 

Steve felt horror chill his veins at the man’s callous tone, “Oh come on, Tony.” He pleaded, looking at the man in disbelief. Desperately hoping his own teammate wouldn’t confirm his chilling realization. So this was how it was gonna be with the Accords, for people like him and Wanda; Steve can already envision the backlash this sort of thing will bring to the enhanced: The hate-mongering, brutality, dehumanization. This was how it was gonna be, wasn’t it? 

“And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction.” 

The alpha, for once in his life, found his control slipped as he snarled at the beta. Baring his teeth in anger, anger he felt at the disparaging treatment to his packmate, “She’s a kid!” Steve tried to reason, tried to put back any semblance of Wanda’s humanity in Tony’s eyes. 

Tony snarled back, unwilling to relent, “GIVE ME A BREAK! I'm doing what has to be done.....to stave off something worse.” 

He didn’t know what to make of it when Steve slowly nodded, standing straight to look down his nose at him and sneered, “You keep telling yourself that,” steely blue eyes regarded him full of anger and disappointment. Tony tensed when the man leaned down to put down the pen he was holding with a pointed _click_ , “Hate to break up the set. Good luck with the Avengers.” With that, Steve left the room without a glance back.

Leaving the suffocating tension behind with Tony. 

* * *

Steve looked at the live cams overlooking Bucky’s evaluation intently, not paying any mind to Sam and Sharon’s conversation as he willed away any anger left from his encounter with Tony. 

_“ I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James._ ” 

_“ My name is Bucky._ ”

The man was looked down at the file next to him, eyeing the blurry photograph that had been released to the public, and frowned when a thought came to mind, tilting his head to address the woman behind him, “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?”

Sharon’s brows furrowed in reflection, eyeing the photo with scrutiny, “Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” She offered.

His eyes narrowed, “Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

The beta looked at him, weariness and growing suspicion piling, “You're saying someone framed him to find him.”

Sam hummed under his breath, eyeing the tense large frame of his friend, “Ms. Lewis implied the same thing. But Steve, we looked for the guy for nearly over two years and found nothing.”

“We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads,” he briskly offered, eyes refusing to leave the screen.

“Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.” At that, the CIA agent eyed the evaluator on the screen with new suspicious eyes. 

The alpha’s fists clenched, “Yeah,” He murmured, looking around the room. Thoughts of Ms. Lewis came to mind when he realized that he had no visuals on the young woman, “What’s the verdict on Ms. Lewis?”

Sharon and Sam tensed, almost as if coming to the same conclusion as he, “Last I heard, they refrained from further questioning when she refused to cooperate. Haven’t gotten any news on what they plan on doing with her, but Secretary Ross seems very keen on her.”

They all tensed as they simultaneously turned their heads to eye the screen, feeling a collective sense of foreboding washing over them, almost as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

* * *

Three floors beneath them, in the secure chamber in which Bucky was being held in. Helmut Zemo eyed the restrained alpha with keen interest: James Buchanan Barnes certainly made for an interesting figure, with his years of experience and Hydra slowly and painfully regressing him into something less civilized to carve him into a perfect hunter, their perfect _weapon_. Whether Barnes was doing it willingly or not, even sitting there - heavily restrained as he currently was - it felt like Zemo was sitting in a room with a feebly chained apex predator.

Ready to latch his powerful jaws onto his fragile neck and bear down until it snapped. The thought was almost unsettling and chafed at his pride and instincts as an alpha, unwilling to be cowed by a much stronger alpha.

Ah well, it wouldn’t be much of a concern soon enough, anyways. The alpha surmised, studying the files on the table before him, almost impressed with its contents, “Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?”

The man before him stared back at him unflinchingly, dispassionately, not in the slightest bit inclined to cooperate with him, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Zemo was not obvious to the way Barnes flexed his fingers, slowly dragging his nails into the surface his arms were constrained to. The passing thought of the super soldier fancying the notion of digging blunt claws into him came to his mind unwillingly.

Dismissing the action entirely, Zemo hummed and stared down at the small - barely meaningful - section in the file, a young woman’s face staring back at him, “This Ms. Lewis must’ve been a shining beacon in this miserable prolonged life of yours, I suppose?” He prodded.

At that, the large man growled, looking down at him with narrowed steely eyes, a not so subtle warning to back off, “I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Interesting, how possessive this alpha was of his mate. He supposed it made sense, she was the first meaningful thing brought into this man’s life after decades of nothing but pain and bloodshed. 

He disregarded the conversation entirely, flippantly casting the file aside to check the screen of his phone. The girl was of no interest to him, no reason to let curiosity distract him from his mission, “You fear that.….if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry.….”- Zemo slowly brought out the red book, for now keeping it well out of the other man’s sight, he didn’t need the Winter Soldier throwing a fuss before he could put the second phase of his plan into motion. He felt satisfaction when he received the much anticipated notification on his phone - “.....We only have to talk about one.” 

* * *

Darcy sat alone in a barren office, eyeing her surroundings with suspicion and disdain. The officials who had been questioning her had left her alone for the time being, probably discussing what should be done with her. Judging by the constant presence of Secretary Ross’ leering face, she knew nothing good would come out of their decision.

She brushed off the growing anxiety, straining her hearing for anything or anyone that could be around the area. The woman eyed her handcuffed hand, pondering if she should attempt an escape when the lights began to shudder before going out completely. 

Fine brows furrowed in confusion and further unease. Wondering if the sense of foreboding was a good or bad thing, if this was her boyfriend’s doing or someone else's, judging by her screaming instincts warning her off like red alarms, Darcy knew it was most definitely the latter, which brought nothing good for her. And she felt anxiety come back tenfold. 

“Bucky?” 

Any wariness disappeared when she frowned in determination, eyeing her handcuffed hand while reaching for a hair pin, “Well Lewis, no time waiting around for your man. I guess it’s time to leave this joint.” She muttered to herself.

* * *

Sam and Steve exchanged alarmed looks at the power outage before bolting out the door, uneasy suspicions regarding Bucky’s well being spiking up, “Man, I do hate it when things go to shit.” The dark skinned alpha growled, keeping pace with his friend as they bound down the stairs for the elevator. 

The tension grew the closer they got to the bottom basement level to where the secure chamber was being held.

* * *

Bucky tensed as the power went out, tensely looking around him until he felt his hackles rise as he eyed the man before him, who looked as pleased as punch at their current predicament, “What the hell is this?” He gruffly demanded.

The man ignored him in favor of standing up, approaching him with slow, purposeful steps, and he could only growl at being stalked like prey, “Why don't we discuss your home? Not Romania. Certainly not Brooklyn, no. I mean, your real home.” Bucky’s eyes widened and felt horror at the sight of a very familiar red book.

_“ Longing._ ”

Bucky clenched his eyes shut, “No.” He murmured, letting his head fall back, feeling overwhelming despair. Not this, not again.

 _“ Rusted._ ” 

Gritting his teeth, the alpha squirmed in his seat and tightly clenched his fist, feeling hot boiling rage bubbling in his chest, “Stop.” 

_“ Seventeen._ ” The man creeped to the side of the pod, sensing upcoming struggle as he watched the Winter Soldier tense. 

“Shut up!” Bucky roared, ripping his metal hand free from his restraints. Desperately reaching out towards his other remaining bounds, “Shut up!!”. 

Zemo remained cool as he watched the supersoldier break through his shackles, _“ Daybreak._ ” A fist came flying at the pod’s door, making the whole holding unit shudder heavily, _“_ _Furnace. Nine._ ” 

Another brutal punch banged against the door, and glass cracked.

 _“ Benign._ ” 

The caged man let out a guttural savage sound, desperately punching harder.

With calm, Zemo slowly approached the abused pod, feeling satisfaction slowly bloom in his chest, _“ Homecoming. One. Freight car._ ” The pod's door shattered, glass flying out, and tense silence followed as the door fell from it’s hinges with a loud echoing thud. Cautiously, the man closed the distance between him and the destroyed pod, ready to make a quick retreat if his attempts failed, _“_ Soldat? ”

With an eerie predatory grace, the Winter Soldier slowly stepped out, staring ahead with eyes pale and coldly blank, _“ Ready to comply._ ”

A pleased smile etched across Zemo’s face, “Mission report. December 16th, 1991.” 

* * *

The two alphas stalked through the room, the red emergency light flashing around them. They both took in their surroundings, taking note of the agents lying on the floor, thankfully all of them just knocked out cold. Both cautiously made their way further through the room, all too aware of the overbearingly unsettling silence.

Steve’s ears pricked at the sound of someone moving, “Help me. Help.” He briskly made his way further into the chamber, finding the man that had been evaluating Bucky lying in a heap on the floor.

“Get up,” he gruffly demanded, the super soldier reached out and grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, roughly pulling him to his feet and shoving him against the wall, “Who are you? What do you want?” 

The man simply sneered, “To see an empire fall.”

Sam slowly studied the room around him, taking in the destruction of the pod that had been holding Barnes. Until he felt a chill crawl up his spine, something instinctive telling him that they were being watched, insistently telling him to leave the room, _‘ Where could he possibly be hiding?_ ’ he silently wondered, ignoring any wariness he might be feeling.

The hairs on his arms stood on ends, “Ste -” Sam was cut off when he suddenly found himself ducking, narrowly avoiding the metal fist that came flying at him. Flinching at the sound of shattering concrete and falling debris, the man didn’t get a chance to react when the same hand came to grab him by the jaw, finding himself staring into cold expressionless eyes until he was being thrown airborne, his back making impact against the pod with a loud thud.

He landed on the floor with a pained grunt, shaking off the pain and struggling to get back to his feet with a groan. 

The Winter Soldier calmly stalked towards the fallen alpha until he found himself being pushed back, barely flinching at the punch he received. He avoided another flying fist by dodging, swerving under the man’s arm to get behind him, watching as the fair haired alpha turned to face him.

Steve resisted the urge to flinch as his friend snarled at him, baring sharp teeth in a vicious grin. With a challenging growl - in hopes of keeping Bucky’s attention on him and away from Sam - Steve charged at him. He pushed the man back as he kneed him in the stomach, taking a moment of Bucky’s distraction to throw a punch to the underside of his chin.….

Unfortunately, the assault didn’t seem to leave much of an effect on the dark haired alpha for long, and Steve grunted in pain as he found himself receiving an elbow to the side of the head, followed with a harsh kick to the ribs that forced him back. Letting out a choked gasp when a metal hand closed in around his neck, hauling him upward and off his feet, and forcibly slamming him onto the floor, knocking the air right out of him. 

Fear nearly left him frozen on the spot at the sight of Bucky’s twisted glare and lip curled back to reveal sharp teeth, struggling to breath under the man’s grip. With a strangled snarl - instinctively unpleased at the unwilling submission he was being forced under - and baring his teeth right back, Steve managed to plant his foot onto the Winter Soldier’s stomach and kicked him off, ignoring the sound of the other alpha landing harshly to the floor with a loud thud as he got back to his feet, resisting the urge to touch his neck.

The fair alpha gathered his bearings just in time to stave off the other alpha’s next attack. He endured and dodged Bucky’s assaults until he found himself with his back against the elevator.

Steve looked back at Bucky’s intense glare with barely concealed alarm, ducking as his friend’s metal fist closed in on his face, sucking in a shocked breath at the sound of the elevator door denting. He managed to block Bucky’s next hit, until he suddenly found himself tumbling down the dark elevator shaft.

The Winter Soldier snorted out a puff of air at the fallen alpha, cracking his neck and rolling broad shoulders before turning around to eye his surroundings. The other two alphas that were in the room with them were suddenly gone, and so he found satisfaction that there weren’t any further threats at this point; even still, the Asset lifted his nose to breath in the air, checking the perimeter. 

Something faintly sweet filled his senses, confused to find it was coming from his right pocket. The alpha grumbled as he dug through it, pulling out something soft and yellow; the Asset surmised that they were shoes, disconcertingly small and pliable shoes, but shoes nonetheless, _' Made of a thick type of thread_ ’ sources told it, what sources, the Asset could not recall.

He brought the booties up to his nose and inhaled the sweet scent, finding it oddly familiar and comforting. The face of a beautiful young woman came to the Asset’s mind, confused by the primal possessive feeling that came along with her visage. 

Surely a mission, an important one, the alpha reasoned, if the thought of her left such a strong impression on him. Tensing up at the prospect of an upcoming assignment, the Asset recalibrated itself, _‘ Primary mission: Retrieval and Extraction of Designation: Secondary Asset_.’ 

Satisfied, the Asset pocketed the small articles and made its way for the exit, prepared by any means necessary to complete the mission. 

It did not stop the growling that rumbled through it’s chest at the thought of her, the possessive feeling strengthening. 

* * *

Back in the control room, alarms blared as people were rushing around in panic at the sudden turn of events, overseeing immediate evacuation, sending out reinforcements. Everett Ross was not pleased to find Barnes was going through every single one of them without any sign of lagging. 

“Evac all civilians. Get me a perimeter around the building, and gunships in the air.” He leaned down to examine security footage. Barnes was circling the area with his nose in the air, looking like a particularly violent bloodhound, _‘ He’s looking for her._ ’ Everett realized, watching as the super soldier’s attention turned towards the officers coming towards him.

Natasha and Tony rushed towards the ground floors, ready to face Barnes head on. She couldn’t help but give her companion a weary side-eyeing, “Please tell me you brought a suit. ” 

He swung around - not faltering in his backward stride - and just gave her a cheeky look, “Sure did. It's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty non-combatant.”

The omega narrowed green eyes at the impertinent beta, resisting the urge to chastise him, before Sharon came into their path and herded them towards the staircase, “Follow me.” She commanded. 

They finally found Barnes on the ground floor, battering two officers with a metal pipe. Natasha tensed at the familiar body language, the vicious focus, the utter brutality _‘ Shit._ ’ she thought in horror, realizing just what was happening. Letting out a shuddering breath, Natasha spoke into the radio in her hand, “We’re in position.”

Tony watched the violent display before tapping into his wrist-control, stretching out his hand as his watch morphed into a gauntlet, _‘ Well Barnes, I think it’s time for an introduction._ ’ he thought grimly. With a steadying breath, the beta activated the stun-mode and aimed at Barnes before the man could shoot a prone officer. 

He rushed forward as the angered alpha snapped his head towards his direction, growling loudly as he stalked toward him. The older man took aim again and closed in on him, frowning when the supersoldier merely shaked his head. 

The beta was hardly prepared for the punches Barnes threw at him, blocking as best as he could, reeling in shock at nails scraping his face, and dodging when a metal fist came a little too close to his rib. He stumbled back when a rough palm butted him underneath the chin, almost alarmed when the same hand grabbed his collar. So he did the desperate thing and aimed to bite the man’s wrist.

He was roughly released and received at headbutt from the super soldier, almost cursing out loud at the pain that blossomed. 

Then Barnes pulled out the gun, and Tony barely had time to block it and found his gauntlet shattered as soon as it closed on the gun’s muzzle. 

He took that opportunity to backhand Barnes, watching the man’s head twist to the side with a grunt. The triumphant little smirk on his face faded as soon it came when steely eyes turned to look back at him, ‘ _Oh boy, he did not like that._ ’ and got brutally backhanded in return, sending him careening. Tony was too busy seeing stars when a - thankfully flesh and bone - fist made impact with his ribs, sending him flying into the tables. 

_‘ Hey Stark, remember when you tried getting into a fight with Cap that one time? Yeah, be grateful he was courteous enough to demand you put on the damn suit first._ ’ He groaned, cradling his abused ribs, only to pale at the sight of Barnes stalking towards him, _‘_ _Oh hell no._ ’ 

The man couldn’t help but feel relief at the sight of Agent Carter rushing in to shove the supersoldier back with a kick to the chest.

Natasha joined her soon enough, kneeing Barnes in the ribs before ducking to punch him in the crotch. Sharon did not hesitate at the man stumbling back, taking the opportunity to twist and swing her leg at him, effectively kicking him in the face. Her second attempt was less successful, as his arm immediately came up and clenched around her leg, effectively trapping her.

She turned to find his eyes piercing into her, full of contempt. With a snarl, he flipped her over until he was slamming her into the table besides him, breaking it and rendering her immobile.

The Asset glared down at her until the Black Widow roughly grabbed his shoulder, bounding up to wrap her legs around the man’s neck. 

Natasha didn’t relent or release him from her grip, even as his hands reached up to grasp her waist in a bruising hold. She ignored the discomfort, and proceeded to roughly bash her joined elbows into his head, in a desperate attempt to snap Barnes out of it. 

She let out a pained grunt when she was slammed onto a table, struggling with a gasp as Barnes reached down and wrapped his metal hand around her neck, using his body to effectively keep her immobile. Any attempts to remove the bionic limb were deemed useless as she clawed at it, and Natasha could only stare into cold, pale eyes, “You could at least recognize me.” 

The large alpha didn’t bother to offer a reply to her demand, only pressed his thumb into her throat, making her gasp, _“ Where is she?_ ” 

“What?”

She keened when that only garnered her rough shake by the neck, as if she were nothing more than a disobedient pup. Barnes leaned down until they were nose to nose and snarled, baring sharp white teeth, _“ Where. Is. She?_ ” 

Natasha was momentarily shocked at his demand, cause he wasn’t supposed to care about his mate’s whereabouts, or have her at the forefront of his thoughts, not in this state of mind. With a desperate gasp for air, she struggled to reply, cause those bared fangs promised nothing good for her if she prolonged answering any further, _“ The girl is in room 3A, three halls down the second floor._ ” 

With a sense of relief, Natasha found herself free of the deadly grip around her neck, and the weight of Barnes' body bearing down on her was removed from her entirely. The omega ignored them entirely, momentarily dismissive of the ongoing fight in her struggle to breath.

T’Challa kept his full attention as the man before him turned to look at him, his pale face twisted in a fierce scowl. The prince’s brows creased in uncertainty at the look in the man’s eyes: Cold, ruthless, uncaring, a startling difference from their first encounter.

 _‘ No matter_.’ He decided, swiftly dodging Barnes fist, retaliating with a kick to the alpha’s chest and ribs. The man quickly ducked from the man’s swipe, successfully throwing back a punch of his own that knocked his head back, and moved to block the series of punches the other threw at him, grunting as metal made contact with his forearms. 

He choked back a cry, when Barnes’ metal fist made contact with his shoulder, sending him flying back. Gracefully landing on his hands and feet, the dark skinned alpha quickly looked up to find Barnes purposefully making his way to the next floor. 

With a growl, he jumped to his feet and made his way around the staircase, fully intending to cut Barnes off. 

The man was not any happier at the sight of him when he leaped in to block him. In fact the sound of rumbling that had filled the air had only gotten louder, and Barnes snarled and bared his teeth. T’Challa responded in kind, baring his own teeth back with a loud hiss. With a bellow, he swung his foot at the supersoldier, kicking at his metal plated shoulder, unrelenting, he swung again, frowning as the other man briskly dodged.

He barely managed to avoid getting hit again, grabbing onto the man’s wrist and twisted his body until his back was to him. Pressing his forearm against the bionic limb, T’Challa bared down as his other hand pulled at Barnes’ wrist. Intent on inflicting damage to the bionic arm.

An eerie sound of grinding metal filled the air, and his eyes only widened in shock as the super soldier forced his arm back. T’Challa looked up at the other alpha wearily, finding the large man burning holes at him with his glare, his arm started to shake with the strain. 

He could only tense as he the man’s eyes went towards his exposed wrist - finding it uncomfortably close to a mouth prone to biting - and felt goosebumps crawl up his flesh at the vicious grin that stretched across a pale face, purposefully exposing sharp teeth with a violent bloody intent.

The prince narrowly avoided getting his arm potentially torn open when he shoved the man back, effectively knocking the both of them down the staircase behind them. He quickly got to his feet just in time to block Barnes’ punch, and snarled as he butted the palm of his hand up the man’s chin. 

With a forceful kick to his broad chest, he sent the other falling over the railing and back down the ground floor. T’Challa quickly followed in pursuit.

Frowning when he found the man nowhere in sight.

* * *

Sam panted and frowned as he looked around him, trying to find the psychiatrist through the throngs of panicking people. Thick eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the jacket at his feet, kneeling down to pick it up and almost cursed out loud to find that the man had thrown him off his tracks. This was just one of those moments when he wished his senses were a little more on par with Steve’s.….

Looking around, he considered his next course of action. He thought back to Steve and Barnes, and the state of their encounter he left behind. It was a no brainer to realize that Barnes might just actually escape the facility, but given his state of mind, Sam wondered if the man would remember to retrieve Ms. Lewis as well.

Might as well make sure to keep the pair intact, “Barnes better be grateful that I’m about to steal his girl.” he muttered under his breath.

With that, he raced back towards the facility.

* * *

Darcy nearly shouted with glee at finally getting the handcuff unlatched from her wrist, “Ah ha! You thought your measly mortal bounds are a match for me? Bitch, you thought!” She had to resist the urge to do a little jig as she got up from the uncomfortable seat. Looking down, she gave her belly a fond look, “Well Nugget, time to go find daddy.”

She couldn’t keep down the gasp of alarmed surprise at the voice that sounded behind her, “Leaving so soon, Ms. Lewis?”

The young woman leaned her weight against the desk behind her, warily eyeing the aged alpha before her as she waited for her erratic heartbeat to settle down, “Well you’ll have to forgive me, Mr. Secretary. But I got things to do, some house shopping to go through, babies to plan for, you know! The whole shebang. So my apologies if I’m not inclined on staying for a slumber party,” the pregnant omega slowly inched around the man, trying to get through the door, “Plus, there’s the hubby to think about. Not a big fan of crowds, the poor thing.” 

Darcy cried out in shock when the man shoved her against the wall, looking up at him in outrage, “Hey, watch it! Baby on board here, fucking asshole!!” she snarled. 

“Ms. Lewis, you must be sorely mistaken if you think you and Barnes are leaving this facility,” He leaned down till their noses brushed, and Darcy felt goosebumps at the look in his eyes, “I finally got my hands on a super soldier - two! Depending on what that fetus you carry turns out like - and I’m not gonna let that slip out of my fingers.” 

Her face contorted in anger and fear. Desperate to get away from the man, she flung her head forward, bashing him in the face with her forehead as hard as she could.

The man stumbled away with a smothered cry, clutching at his bleeding nose. Darcy swiftly - or as swiftly as she could, considering her condition - turned to rush out the door and away from the old alpha.

Unfortunately, she didn’t make it very far, when she felt his hand grasp at her hair and yanked back until she stumbled into his chest. With a cry, “Let go of me!” she struggled wildly to loosen his grip on her, scratching at and digging her nails into his knuckles until she felt a cold muzzle of a gun press against her jaw.

“Now I’m gonna be nice and kindly ask you to cease your struggling. After all, you’re still in our custody, girl, and it wouldn’t do to have you getting into any more trouble.” 

“Fuck you.” Darcy spat.

The Secretary of the State merely tisked his tongue at her response, almost feigning disapproval, “No need for none of that. I’m gonna ask again….” he trailed off with removing the gun’s safety, pressing it’s muzzle into her skin.

She tried to calm her racing heartbeat, trying to quell her fear. He won’t kill her, of course he won't! Ross is much too interested in being in the possession of a super soldier to kill a potential one, Darcy tried to convince herself, even if the thought of this man being anywhere near her baby brought her nausea. 

Ross forcefully directed her towards the end of the hall, and they both tensed when the air became oppressively thick with the putrid stench of angry, possessive, alpha. Despite the looming threat, Darcy smiled - recognizing the owner of the scent - and relaxed, turning her head to welcome the newcomer.

“Hey, babe.” 

Bucky stood there waiting for them, his tall muscular frame blocking out most of the light from the hall's entrance. His features twisted with cold deadly wrath, ready to deal out punishment to the strange old alpha holding her back by the hair. Darcy is pretty sure she’s never seen such a look on his face before, and is uncertain if she should be concerned.

The white haired man flinched violently, stepping back to face the angry alpha fully, “If you want her to remain uninjured, then I suggest you do as I say and stand down, now.” He threatened, tightening his grip on her hair. Bucky snarled at the pained hiss she released, taking a slow menacing step forward. Darcy could practically feel the man behind her tremble, “Barnes, I’m warning you: Stand -”

_BANG!_

Darcy gasped in surprise when the man was cut off by the sound of a loud gunshot echoing throughout the hall, and it took her a second to register the sound of the elder alpha crying out in pain. She didn’t waste a second before roughly elbowing him in the gut, relishing the sensation of freedom as she stumbled towards her mate.

“Thank goodness you’re okay. You’re not hurt, are you?” She stressed, hands caressing his scruffy cheeks, fretfully looking him over for any sign of injury. When she didn’t receive an immediate response or any indication that he was okay, Darcy worriedly looked up at her mate’s face, “Bucky?”

She wasn’t sure if she should be further concerned or not, when he leaned down to inhale her scent. And she had to resist the urge to sigh and close her eyes as he nosed the mark on her neck.

 _‘Designation: Secondary Asset has been retrieved. Primary Mission: Completed. Proceed for Extraction_ .’ The Asset recalibrated, assessing the girl for any sign of injury. He did not understand the feeling of possessiveness that resurfaced when it had taken in _Designation: Secondary Asset’s_ scent, nor the overwhelming anger at the stench of that old alpha on her, especially surrounding the mark on her neck. 

_‘ She’s mine._ ’

Blinking away at the uninhibited primal thought. The Asset pushed away any desire to stake claim on the omega and surveyed the area, noting with satisfaction the sight of the emergency exit at the other end of the hallway; once insured of means of escape, the alpha narrowed its eyes at the sight of the aged man struggling to get to his feet, “You are not leaving this facility!” He snarled, leaning his weight against the wall, leg bleeding heavily.

 _‘ Threat level: 3. Estimated time of Elimination: 2 minutes._ ’ With that, the alpha turned its attention toward the girl, pointedly ignoring the concern on her face, _“_ _Head for the emergency exit. Don’t move until I come retrieve you._ ” It commanded.

“Wait, what?” Darcey exclaimed in confusion, growing all the more concerned at the brusk Russian.

With a growl of frustration, the man roughly turned the omega towards the opposite direction and pointed at the glowing emergency exit sign, “Go, now.” The alpha gruffly demanded in a heavily accented English. 

She nodded rapidly, finally getting the gist of his order, “Right, right!” Darcy quickly ambled towards the exit, avoiding the Secretary as much as possible despite his battered state.

With the girl well out of potential danger, the supersoldier turned his attention towards the bleeding alpha, finding him unsteadily holding up his gun at him. The Asset rolled his broad shoulders and tauntingly made a beckoning gesture, utterly confident in it’s ability to nullify this small threat, already prepared when the man pulled the trigger.

Bullets went ricocheting off his bionic arms, and the Asset wasted no time closing the distance between them. Swiftly grabbing the hand holding the weapon, the alpha snapped the older man’s wrist with a jerk, silencing his cry by grabbing him by the back of his neck and hauling him downward to meet his knee. 

Roughly pushing the man away in contempt, he sneered down at the fallen target as they slumped to the floor, unconscious. The Asset would've considered eliminating the threat entirely, but he had a mission to complete and didn’t want any more enemy enforcements impending that mission. 

With a snort, the alpha turned towards the exit, finding the Secondary Asset fretfully wringing her hands as she waited for him on the other side of the door. He swiftly proceeded on leading her down the flight of stairs, making sure to shield her body with his own in case anyone managed to follow them. 

It felt brief satisfaction to find the exit had led them to the parking lot. And with a quick scan around the perimeter, guided the young woman towards an seemingly unremarkable vehicle. The Asset only felt it’s hackles rise at the scent of a familiar alpha, and quickly yanked the passenger door open, “Get in.” 

_“_ _Barnes!_ ”

The Asset didn’t deign a response towards the approaching threat, and swiftly got into the car. “Uh, Bucky?” it ignored the girl, making quick work on hot wiring the car. A small pleased smirk stretched across its face at the sound of the ignition roaring to life, and didn’t waste any time leaving the parking lot - and the man - behind.

Sam cursed under his breath at the retreating car, muttering under his breath as he hastily pulled out the trackers Carter had discreetly handed to him before things went to shit. He let out a steadying breath, eyes on the vehicle, and aimed, watching as a small black disk flew.  
His shoulders slumped in relief to watch it magnetically stick to the car’s bumper, hanging his head in exhaustion as he felt the adrenaline flush right out of him, ‘ _At least he didn’t forget about Lewis._ ’ he thought dryly, thinking at least that it had made things easier for him.  
The alpha looked around the parking lot before deciding to retreat, intent on looking for Steve.

* * *

Tony entered the control room to find Natasha waiting there, speaking with someone on the phone. He couldn’t help but wince at the dull throbbing pain he felt, cradling his ribs as he slowly sat down, waiting impatiently for the woman to finish her call. 

“Well that had ought to be one of my most embarrassing defeats yet.” The beta chimed as she finally set her phone down, Tony couldn’t help but prod at the most definitely hefty shiner that had blossomed across the left side of his face. He shrugged when Natasha gave him a look, “Barely lasted five minutes with the guy.”

“Considering Barnes is a super soldier with decades of experience, and you are an average middle aged man with a few years of adequate training, and weren’t wearing your Iron Man suit? I’m more shocked that he didn’t kill you,” the omega plainly stated, ignoring his affronted look. She then gave him a onceover, “How are your ribs?”

The beta waved off her concerns, “Eh, they’re fine. Just felt like I was run over by a bulldozer. Barnes sure knows how to pack a punch,” tilting his head, the man gave her a considering look, and raised a brow at her, “And you?” He pointedly eyed the bruise blooming across her entire neck.

Natasha merely shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the encounter, “It’s not the worse he’s dealt me. So how’s the Secretary of the State?”

At that, Tony slumped back in his chair, feeling tension crawl up his spine at the mention of the man, “His list of injuries included a broken nose and wrist, dislocated shoulder, hemorrhaging from getting shot through the femoral artery. There might be a broken rib somewhere in that list, must’ve slipped my mind,” Tony shrugged, lifting his hands in air, as if helplessly saying ‘What can you do?’, “The man is incensed, wants Cap and Wilson’s head on a platter and Barnes back in custody, and don’t get me started on his demands for Lewis.….” 

The beta tilted his head and silently eyed her for a moment, wondering what she might be thinking, “You have any idea where Rogers and Wilson are, by any chance?” 

Natasha silently shook her head, “Disappeared without a trace, most likely went out looking for Barnes and Lewis.….” her green eyes narrowed with suspicion, “That man - the one sent in to evaluate Barnes - was either not who he said he was, or we might have failed to verify his background thoroughly.” 

“What makes you think that?”

“Barnes was perfectly cooperative the entire time he had been brought here. Frustratingly bull-headed? Perhaps, but he hardly presented himself as a threat to those around him. Yet the moment the psychologist was brought in, he’s suddenly tearing through the facility in a berserker rage.” Natasha rested her chin against her knuckles, and pursued her lips at the thought of a possible Hydra mole. 

“Maybe the Manchurian Candidate just really hates the idea of talking to a shrink. Didn’t they used to stick people into a loony bin back in the olden day or something?” When that didn’t garner a response. Tony considered her words, biting down a sigh of disbelief at the thought that came to him, “Natasha, you’re not implying Hydra might be snooping around again, are you? Care to share your thoughts with the class?”

The omega gently bit at her nail before turning to look at him, “There’s a red book, a book the Soviets created. Filled with pages on how they unmade Barnes: Punishments, training methods, ways to _control_ him. There’s probably a whole section dedicated to his regressive feral behaviour,” Natasha frowned at the memories that resurfaced, sitting back in her chair, “At some point, they didn’t want to risk the chances of frying his brain and leaving their prized weapon brain-dead from constant memory wipes, so they decided to create some safeguards.….” 

She turned to face him, and he tried not to squirm as grim eyes intensely fixated on him, “Ten words were practically burned into Barnes’ mind that ensured to render him completely compliant and at the speaker’s mercy,” The omega gave him a half shrug and her face grimaced into something he might have called shame, “Unfortunately, I was never able to find that book.”

Tony scratched his beard as he took in her confession, resisting the urge to cringe, “That’s not what has you confused though.”

“When those words are spoken, Barnes has nothing else in mind but the mission given to him.”

“But he still went looking for Lewis.” He concluded, finally seeing what had her so baffled. 

Natasha nodded in agreement, “So either this possible mole gave him the orders to retrieve the girl on his way out - which just opens another can of worms - or.….”

“Or Lewis somehow has more influence on Barnes than decades old mental programming,” Tony made a face and looked at her. At the omega’s shrug, he rolled his eyes, “Not gonna lie, that sounds like the kind of bullshit you find in cheesy old romance novels and fanfiction.” 

“Fanfiction, Tony? Really??” Her green eyes gleamed with amusement. 

He brushed off her jab, refusing to feel embarrassed, “I was bored and curious, and it was one time. Biggest mistake of my life,” the beta stood up and stretched, biting down the whine at aching bones, “Never needed to know what people wrote about me and Steve though. Ugh.” He shuddered. 

At the mention of Steve, Natasha frowned and looked at her companion expectantly, “Did Ross give you any orders?”

He dragged a hand down his face, feeling exhaustion rush through him, “36 hours to find Rogers, Wilson, and the charming little couple. He was insistent on sending a special task force - with brute force and all -, but I managed to convince him to give us a chance,” Tony exhaled, rubbing a hand on his chest, “My left arm is numb, is that normal?”

She reached out and gently patted him on the shoulder, “You sure you’re alright?” 

“Always,” He pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, “36 hours, jeez.”

Natasha looked around the scarce room with a deep frown, “We’re seriously understaffed.” She pointed out.

“Oh, yeah. It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?”

The woman looked up and gave him an almost disbelieving look, almost as if wondering if he even considered what their lost teammate might have thought of this whole thing outside of what he could contribute, “You really think Bruce would be on our side? Under Ross’ thumb?” 

Tony’s forehead creased at the thought, shoulders slumping in dejection and slowly shook his head with a disconcerted frown, “No, of course he wouldn’t.”

“I got an idea” She stated.

Tony smirked, “Me too. Where’s yours?”

“Downstairs, and yours?” 

* * *

“You’re distressed.” He pointed out, eyes fixated on the road ahead. The young woman’s heartbeat was still at it’s accelerated pace, and watched in the corner of his eye as she continuously rubbed circles over her distended belly with a grimace.

With a brief weary glance at his direction, Darcy let out a sigh, “Yeah, well. Today’s excitement got little Nugget pretty riled up, and they’re currently bungy jumping on my already smothered organs.” Wincing at the harsh kick she got in response, Darcy looked out the window, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The Asset frowned as his hands tightened around the wheel, feeling discontent at the answer. As far as they could tell, the young omega was not distressed or afraid of his presence, in fact, _Designation: Secondary Asset_ had shown a baffling amount of trust in him and his ability to safely extract her from the facility. But yet now, here she was, the omega’s sweetened scent slowly tainted by her unease. 

For some reason, the idea of her feeling unsafe with him brought an unsettling feeling of despair. With a particularly harsh tap of his finger, the alpha stubbornly swallowed down the lump in his throat, he didn’t need to agitate her further by whining like a mournful pup. 

“What measures are taken to calm the infant?” _‘ Designation: Secondary Asset, Reassigned: Candidate_.’

Darcy looked up at him in barely concealed surprise. With a clear throat, she pulled his jacket closer around her chest and gave him an appraising look, “Well, Nugget likes it when their daddy rubs my stomach. And whenever he talks to them, they find the sound of his voice very soothing apparently.” Her eyes softened and she smiled fondly at the thought, before eyeing him curiously. 

The omega wasn’t entirely 100% convinced that he was well aware that the baby was his, considering he thought of her as a “Secondary Asset” _‘ Whatever the fuck that meant_ ’, Darcy was pretty certain the fact was entirely blocked from him. Brows creased as she blinked away tears that rose at the thought, refusing to even dwell on it. 

Any negative thoughts evaporated from her mind when a large hand placed itself firmly against her stomach. Eyes widened as Darcy glanced down at the hand briefly before looking back to him in surprise, finding him firmly keeping his eyes on the road, as if the furrow of his brow and a slight pout of his lip didn’t speak volumes of his awkwardness at the action that was currently unfamiliar to him. With a tentative smile, she gently placed her hand on his, worried that he might pull away at the contact.

She couldn't help but smile when he kept his hand in place.

“Cease and desist, child,” Clearing his throat, the man continued, “You’re causing your mother discomfort.” Raising a brow at the choice of words, Darcy could hardly hide her amusement at his graceless attempts. It was almost sweet, how much it reminded her of Bucky’s first awkward attempt to speak to their pup.

“The Asset was not aware Hydra had reinstated Project Inheritance.” 

Any swell of affection she felt from her mate’s attempts were dampened by his statement, and she could only stare at him in shock, “What?” 

“Project Inheritance. In 1990, Hydra was looking into trying to recreate the super soldier serum. They still couldn’t reach conclusive results with what minimal information they had on Dr. Arnim Zola’s research, so they tried looking into studying blood samples, those weren’t of help either.” The man spoke of the issue as if it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant conversation to be having with his mate, as if this was merely a report he was delivering, “Handler Vasily Karpov suggested breeding as a last resort, in hopes that the Asset’s enhanced gene would be passed onto viable offspring. They didn’t want to hinder their agents or any workers in the process, so they looked for optimal candidates elsewhere,” Darcy swallowed the knot that grew in her throat at the notion, wondering just how many women were saved from being picked off the street to suffer this fate. 

The fact Bucky was reporting all this with little confusion on details was very telling, and she could only feel anger at the thought that those scumbags spoke about this project in front of him as if he were nothing more than a breeding stud they planned on using him as, with no opinion to speak on the matter, “Artificial insemination had been the deciding factor, they did not want the Asset or any of the candidates developing any undesired attachments.” 

“And I’m guessing finding his soulmate, either?” Not that she would’ve been considered an ideal candidate at the time, considering she had been a child at that moment.

At the question, his forehead creased and pale eyes narrowed, pulling his hand away to grip onto the wheel, “Negative, the Asset is a weapon, nonhuman, soulless. Therefore, can not have a soulmate.” He dismissed, with the face of a man told many times in an effort to dehumanize him: Dismayed and looking altogether dejected at the thought.

 _‘ Fucking Hydra, may they all rot_ ’ She thought, with an alarming amount of growing animosity. With a sigh, Darcy directed the conversation back to it’s previous disturbing topic, “So what had them ditching the project?” It was doubtful it was due to lack of funding, maybe they just found the idea of raising potential super babies unpleasant, and something of wasteful time and resources. 

No, the answer was an open can of worms she didn’t expect to stumble upon, “It had been discovered that Howard Stark had recreated the serum months after. In 1991, the Asset was dispatched to intercept Howard Stark’s vehicle to retrieve the serum. No witnesses were to be left behind.” His blank face did little to assuage the horror she felt. Darcy didn’t have time to process the information when he turned to look at her. 

The alpha considered the next course of action, instincts had him considering getting them as far away from the facility as possible, but if Hydra had reinstated the project, he’d be in obligation to return to base with the Secondary Asset for evaluation _‘ Secondary Mission: Return Asset and Designation: Candidate to base_ ’. The mere thought reared something ugly and hostile in his mind, the leather of the steering wheel creaking under the pressure of his grip; the moment they’d return to the main base, Hydra would separate them, take the omega elsewhere to determine the status of the child, and him to be reprogrammed. 

“Primary mission: Ensure Designation: Candidate’s safety, Secondary mission: Return to Handlers,” The Asset felt something twist in his chest at the look of horror on her face, and took a turn with a snarl, “Secondary mission: Redacted. Mission is to ensure your safety and wellbeing, the Asset cannot complete their mission if handlers were to take you,” Her scent was slowly easing into something less acidic, less overwhelmingly sour as her distress ebbed at his declaration, “The Asse - it will - I, I will not allow for them to infringe on your safety. On your life. You are my mission, mine.” 

“I will not let them have further claims on you or the child.” It was getting harder to concentrate when his mind was being assaulted over and over with unwarranted images and feelings, images of the woman next to him smiling up at him, whispering sweet nothings that made him feel overwhelming affection, the feeling of joyful pride when pressing his forehead against her stomach, feeling and hearing the presence of their growing child, the softness of her lips. Blinking at the sudden memories, a muscle twitches in his jaw as The Asset tried to regain focus on the current mission, looking at the rear view mirror for any signs that they were being followed.

Darcy looked at him, any lingering feelings of horror at his plan of action assuaged by his violent rejection of it. She wasn’t sure if she should be worried by his alarming display of chaotic ever changing emotions, or be relieved that he was beginning to show signs of recognition. But she did know that there was a small issue she should take care of if she wanted him recovering peacefully. 

Once they stopped at a red light, she reached out with little hesitance and gently took his hand. Easing it off the wheel - and pointedly ignoring the indentation his grip left behind -, Darcy intertwined their fingers together, waiting for him to pull his hand away, only to feel immense relief when she received a soft squeeze in return. “Bucky, Bucky can you look at me?” 

The omega didn’t know if he was that far out of the programming to respond to his own name, and she really hoped she wasn’t hindering any progress by trying. 

She offered him a reassuring smile when he finally turned to look at her, grey stormy eyes intensely focused on her, “I want you to listen to me carefully, okay? This: You, me, and this baby? Hydra had no involvement or say in this, they had fuck all to do with this, our relationship was our choice alone, ours to make,” Darcy carefully avoided mentioning that the baby itself was made out of an entirely unplanned incident, she’d rather leave that to the resurfacing memories, “You don’t have to worry about them coming after me or Nugget, okay?.” 

Bucky looked at her with an indiscernible look in his eyes, until something equally fierce and overwhelming flashed through them. With a determined nod, Darcy felt her cheeks redden and a wave of affection rushed through her as he lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing a possessive kiss on her knuckles.

The rest of the ride remained quiet, and their hands remained linked together.

* * *

“So, is this an old Hydra meeting point or something?” Darcy wondered out loud, clutching Bucky’s jacket close around her as she followed him into an abandoned rundown apartment building. Bucky had a gun raised steadily in front of him, intently surveying and sniffing out the area for any signs of potential threats. 

He raised a brow at her, “Or something.” 

She watched him as he quietly stalked through the halls, eyeing the walls intensely, as if expecting someone to just jump out and attack them. Darcy didn’t seem to think so, the place was so quiet, and everything was covered in a layer of dust; then again, she could hardly blame him for his paranoia. The young woman eyed her surroundings, absently rubbing her nose, “You think this place is haunted? It looks like it’d make a good haunting place. Hellooo.....” she whispered to herself.

The man lowered his weapon, turning to look over his shoulder to give her an exasperated look, “Sweetheart, you really gotta stop watching those weird videos.” He teasingly chastised her. 

She waved off his comment, “Bah! Don’t go dissing Shane and Ryan just yet, hotstuff. If you just gived their videos a chance, you’d grow to like ‘em.” 

He gave her an indulgent smile, “I’d highly doubt it.” Bucky drawled. With that, the alpha turned his attention back into his task. Lifting his nose in the air to give the perimeter a onceover, Bucky couldn’t help but sneeze when his nose was overwhelmed with the scent of dust.

His ears pricked at the sound of his mate’s giggling ringing through the air, and turned around to give her a mulish look. Bucky could only fondly roll his eyes, closing the distance between them, “Darce, it’s not nice to laugh. People usually respond to someone sneezing by saying _‘ bless you_ ’, where are your manners?” He teased, gently bumping his forehead against hers.

“Don’t recall ever having any.” She cheekily responded, nuzzling his nose with hers. 

Bucky let out a soft chuff, finding himself endeared by her once again. He couldn’t help but feel relief and joy all over again at escaping with Darcy intact, the alpha didn’t know what he’d do with himself if he found he had left her and their baby behind. He closed the space between them, checking for any hidden injuries, the alpha rumbled in approval as she tilted her head, encouraging him to scent her mark, rubbing away any of the remaining scent of that old alpha. Hands gripping her hips clenched possessively at the mere thought of someone challenging his claim on his mate.

He didn’t take mind to her indulgent sigh as he kneeled before her, pressing his ear against her stomach. Everything seemed fine with their pup as far as he could tell, it’s tiny heartbeat remaining strong and steady against his ear. 

The alpha let the tension in his shoulders ease at the confirmation that his little family was safe, leaning forward to nuzzle her hairline. He trailed loving kisses from her forehead to her cheek, until he reached her mouth. Pressing his lips firmly against hers, basking in the sound of her pleased sigh. He hoped she understood his sentiment and desperation. 

Her whole body tingled, the feel of his frame leaning on hers as his arms wrapped around her felt nearly rapturous. He pulled her in, claiming her mouth again, hungry, intense and desperate, until she felt like her knees would give in. Darcy gently ran her fingers through his hair, trailing her nails down his scalp, unable to resist the smile as he growled with pleasure in response. 

They kissed twice again and once more, relieved to have gotten away together, that the other was safe. Sighing in contentment, they opened their eyes and gazed at each other.

“Hey.” He softly whispered, nuzzling his nose against hers.

“Hi.” She sighed breathlessly, smiling dopely at him. 

“You and the Nugget doing okay?” Bucky inquired, hands moving to gently caressing the sides of her belly.

She closed her eyes and nodded, relishing in the soft touches, Darcy quirked her brows in amusement when the baby started to respond by kicking, “Survey says: We’re both doing just fine,” Darcy didn’t want to burst the tranquil bubble they wrapped themselves in, but she felt uncertainty crawl into her thoughts, concerned with their current predicament, “So what now?” The omega softly inquired, absentmindedly caressing his jaw with her thumb. 

Bucky pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead, “We rest for now. By nightfall, we’ll leave,” he stated, gently massaging her shoulder, “You hungry?” 

“I think I’m a little too anxious to even consider the prospect of food,” She wrapped her arms around herself, and eyed the desolate little kitchen they were standing in, “And even if I was, I am not eating whatever is sitting in these dusty cabinets.” Darcy quietly asserted.

“Doll, you haven’t eaten at all today. It’s not good for you,” Bucky blew a strand of hair out of his face, feelings his shoulders tense, and blinked, “I can always go to that store that’s around the block.” He offered. The idea of leaving her alone - when there were mostly likely people looking for them - was something he really couldn’t stomach.

She raised a fine brow at him, “Bucky, you’re clearly not a fan of the idea.”

“Doesn’t matter, keeping you and the baby healthy is more important,” he drew his bottom lip in between his teeth, chewing on it pensively as the alpha gently ran calloused knuckles over her cheek, briefly looking around their surroundings before turning his attention back towards her, “I’m gonna leave the gun here, you remember how to use it?” Bucky sighed when he received a nod in response. 

Concern clouded her features as she watched her mate’s confliction, ”I’ll lock the door, if that helps?” She reassured, running a soothing thumb on his knuckles.

He pursued his lips and nodded, “Yeah, I guess that’ll have to do. Don’t touch anything, okay? There’s a bedroom down the hall if you get tired.” 

“Trust me, I don’t want to trigger any possible booby traps,” She backed away from him, trying to lighten the mood as she eyeballed the apartment, “I’m not that adventurous.….or stupid,” Darcy muttered the last bit to herself. Then a thought occurred to her, “Hey, how are you even gonna buy food? We don’t even have any money on us.”

The man smirked and wordlessly held up a plastic bag full of money, “They left this in their storage provisions.” 

“.....Okay this may not be the time to say this, but sometimes, you just really know how to turn me on.” the omega purred, leaning back against the couch behind her.

The growl she got in response made her toes curl, “Doll, I’m beginning to wonder if I conditioned that response in you every time I pulled a condom out of nowhere.” Bucky then threw her a salacious smirk and winked, before leaving.

She sighed, and went to lock the door before looking back at her dusty surroundings. Darcy sniffed before heading for the bedroom, intent on checking how sturdy that bed was.

* * *

“You’re sure we’re headed in the right direction?” Steve fretted, looking down at the tracker in Sam’s hand with doubt. 

His friend raised an exasperated brow at him, “Steve, relax. Are you really gonna doubt the stuff Sharon snuck to us?” brown eyes glanced up at the bump on the side of his friend’s forehead, “How’s your head, by the way, humpty dumpty?” Sam inquired, with a small lighthearted smirk.

Steve rolled his eyes at the name, “It’s fine, I stopped seeing two of everything an hour ago,” he joked reassuringly, keeping his eyes on the road, “And it’s not that I don’t trust that you managed to tag a tracker on Bucky, or Sharon’s intentions. It’s just.….”

“It’s just you’re worried that Barnes will disappear on us again.” Sam concluded, giving an understanding nod in response, “Turn right.” 

The supersoldier took the turn and let out a weary sigh, “What I’m concerned about is what it is, that that man wanted from him. He wasn’t interested in making off with Bucky, so clearly it must’ve been information.” He chewed at the corner of his lip in thought. 

Their eyes narrowed in confusion as they entered a quiet little neighborhood, and Sam quirked a brow at the rows of apartment buildings, “Think Barnes decided to look for a place for his girl to nest?” He wondered out loud. 

The man next to him gave him an alarmed look, “She isn’t that far along.” 

“No, but premature labor is still a possibility.” 

Pale hands clenched around the steering wheel as his features twisted in concern, “You don’t think that might’ve happened, do you?” The last thing they needed was for Bucky - in the state of mind that he was currently in - to see them as threats to his laboring mate, when he clearly showed himself to already be violently protective when 100% in control of his faculties. 

His friend shrugged, “Who knows, Lewis just went through a pretty stressful day. But maybe she’s got nerves of steel, girl has to have them if Barnes let her into his life,” Sam guessed, he then gave the fair haired alpha a considering look, noticing the telltale twitching muscle in his jaw, “Not exactly the kinda reunion you had in mind, huh?”

Steve gave him a rueful look, “Whatever kind of reunion I had in mind doesn’t matter,” he gruffly drawled, sounding almost bitter, “Wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky doesn’t seek us out for another two years, if he does at all at this point.”

“Concerned they might not name you godfather?”

“Oh please, I’m not that doubtful about my place in Bucky’s life,” He sighed at Sam’s disbelieving snort, running his hand roughly through his hair, uncaring of the disarrayed state he left it in, “Alright, maybe I am worried. He had no issue moving on with his life - presumably finding a stable job, establishing a relationship with his soulmate, expecting a baby. He took great measures to avoid me like the plague when we’ve spent those two years searching for him,” Steve let out a shuddering breath, “Clearly I have no place in this new life of his.” He gnashed his teeth, refusing to whine at the thought.

The supersoldier didn’t flinch when Sam reached out and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, “Steve, I might have told you this a few times during our search, but maybe it should bare repeating,” Blue eyes glanced at his direction curiously, “Maybe Barnes just wasn’t ready to let you back into his life. Dude has gone through some severe shit, Steve -” 

“You think I don -”

Sam cut off his friend’s outrage with a warning look, “- And maybe he felt he couldn’t let himself be part of your life, cause he’s changed, _drastically_ , and he probably knows he can never go back to being that man that you remember,” the man bothered the tracker a second glance, checking to see if they had strayed off track. They didn’t, so he set his attentions back on the distressed alpha next to him, “If you think about it that way, him letting Lewis into his life makes some sense: She is his girlfriend, his _soulmate_ , someone he had a choice in bringing into his life, and she is someone entirely disconnected from his previous life. He probably feels like he won’t disappoint her if he fails remembering something about himself.” 

Steve let out a harsh breath, slowly parking behind a small burgundy car. He leaned down to rest his forehead against the steering wheel, “I wouldn’t have held such expectations over him.” He murmured.

“I know,” Sam softly reassured, gently rubbing his friend’s back in comfort, “But he doesn’t.” 

With a slow nod of his head, Steve took a steadying breath, trying to ease away the anxiety that had built up. Letting out a huff, he reached down to unlatch his seatbelt, “Lets go, hopefully they haven’t gone too far.” 

They both got out of the car to take in the SUV in front of them. It was intact, for the most part, if one ignored the crushed door handle in the passenger front seat, “You sure this is it?” Even given the evidence, he asked anyway. Eyeing the small vehicle as if that would give him a clue as to where his friend had gone off to.

“Yup,” The dark skinned alpha chirped, bending over to pick something off the bumper. He held up the small tracking disk for his friend to see, “Now here’s to hoping Barnes didn’t switch cars.” He dryly reflected, and gave Steve a pointed look.

“What?”

Sam merely rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets as he closed the distance between them, pointedly tapping his nose with a raised brow, “Your sense of smell is just as good as Barnes’. Wouldn’t hurt to try tracking them.” He suggested.

Steve looked at the car and back at his friend with uncertainty. He had to say he never tried tracking someone by scent before, even during the war. For the most part, any attempts usually lead to burgeoning headaches. With a determined frown, he leaned toward the passenger door, overwhelmed immediately by Ms. Lewis’ scent: Pregnancy hormones, Bucky's musky scent, strawberries.….and milk. He inhaled harshly, and promptly sneezed.

His fellow alpha's eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked down at him, “Problem there, Cap?” He teased playfully.

Steve gave him an exasperated look, gently wiping at his nose, “Just not used to this.” He placed his hands on his hips, eyeing the area around them before tentatively lifting his nose in the air. And inhaled.

The alpha had some difficulty trying to pinpoint her scent through all the different smells around him and slowly started feeling that familiar ache rise at his temple _‘ How does Bucky do this? What is wrong with him?_ ’ he mentally cringed at the thought, chastising, _‘_ _Ooh, don’t open that door._ ’

The large alpha perked up when he finally caught a trail of her scent, he turned towards it and opened his eyes, facing the street across him.

He turned to look at Sam, finding him patiently leaning against the car, watching him, “We got a trail?” 

“Looks like it.” Steve replied, watching as Sam straightened up to stand by his side. They started down towards the street.

“Lets just hope Barnes is down for some company. How much of a sway do you think Lewis has on him, anyway? Cause I am not looking forward to round two.” Sam wondered in a dry tone. 

* * *

Steve eased his way into the apartment, looking around at every corner of the small house with caution before gesturing to Sam to follow. He tensed, however, when he spotted the large obscured figure blocking an entry to the hall at the end of the room. The girl was probably somewhere in there, sleeping, judging by the hushed silence.

“I don’t know much about this guy, but I’m pretty sure your ma taught you that it’s rude to come into someone’s house without knocking.” Bucky leered, keenly watching the pair as he took a swig from the water bottle in his hand. 

The man felt the tension in his broad shoulders ease a bit at the sound of his old friend’s familiar chiding, “Well it’s not really your house, so.” Steve offered, crossing the room until he was well within six feet from Bucky, before taking note of the growing tension in the man’s body at his closing proximity, _‘Easy Rogers’_ he mentally admonished himself. He sobered however, when he remembered what he was here for, “Which Bucky am I talking to?” 

“Your mom’s name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.” Bucky claimed.

“Yeah, I’d feel better if you gave us something that you wouldn’t get from the museum. Thank you very much.” Sam grumbled, unconvinced, closing the door behind him and giving his friend a unimpressed side eyeing, as if he were entirely aware Steve was gonna take that information with open arms. Steve shrugged sheepishly in apology.

Bucky tilted his head and raised a brow at the man, before pursuing his lips in thought, “Steve thought the word fondue was an euphemism for sex, and cheats at poker when he’s feeling petty.” 

Steve could feel a flush crawl up his neck at the feeling of Sam eyeing him for confirmation, face slacked with bafflement, “It’s not as bad as he makes it sound.” He admitted.

“I’m pretty sure you left me and the fellas without clothes at some point, just cause we got fresh with you.” Bucky crossed his arms and smirked, almost as if relishing putting Steve under the spot. 

He pointed his finger at him, “You dumped a can of herrings into my sleeping bag, tricked me into fishing with my bare hands and feet during the damned winter, and made off with my clothes while I was bathing. You lot deserved it.” Sam couldn’t help but snort at the alpha’s indignation.

Bucky just stared at him, “You left us to sleep naked with the mosquitos, Stevie.” 

Sam painfully swallowed down bouts of laughter at the notion, when he was pretty sure he should be feeling suspicious of the past games he played with Steve. He looked at Barnes with barely restrained amusement, “And the fondue thing?” He thinned his lips at Steve’s look of betrayal.

The man looked skyward, thinking, and an impish smirk stretched across his face, “Apparently, he once heard Stark offer it to Peggy and jumped to that conclusion, he got in trouble for it too.”

At that, Sam’s eyebrows raised to his hairline, and looked at the flustered man besides him, “Seriously?”

Steve crossed his arms and looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, “I didn’t know what it was back then, and it’s not like you knew either.” He could barely keep from shouting at Bucky’s gesture to keep quiet. This is not how he was expecting things to go.

“Yeah, but I sure didn’t think it meant sex.” 

As much as he enjoyed filling up the mental bank with goldmines worth of blackmail, Sam thought with a wry smile, they really had more important things to get their focus on. Clearing his throat, “Hate to be the mood killer but.….” Steve and Barnes seemed to get the gist of his meaning as well, when the long haired alpha’s face sobered.

“What did I do?” 

Steve sighed, placing his hands on his hips, “Enough.”

A bitter laugh escaped Bucky’s lips as he stood up, feeling self loathing well up, “Figures, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words.” He muttered with a sneer. 

“Who was he?”

Bucky shrugged, looking despondent, “I don’t know.” 

“People are dead. The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than ' _I don't know '_.” Steve sternly demanded.

Bucky crossed his arms and gave the fair alpha a look. With furrowed brows, the man tried to think back to the encounter, pushing through the rousing headache that came as he tried to remember, “He wanted to know about Siberia, where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.” Bucky felt a chill crawl up his spine at the realization that occurred to him. 

Sam and Steve exchanged confused worried looks, “Why would he need to know that?” Steve inquired, feeling the familiar sense of foreboding crawl up his spine at the look on the man's face. 

His old friend looked back at him grimly, “Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.” 

Sam couldn’t help the goosebumps that rose at the information, eyeing the man with quiet horror, “There are more of you?” Bucky reluctantly nodded.

“Who were they?” 

Bucky looked down at his hands, rolling his metal wrist and sneered, “Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history, and that was before the serum.”

The dark skinned alpha lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, “They all turn out like you?”

“Worse.” Oh joy

“Why is it just now that we’re hearing about them?”

The supersoldier quirked his brows, nonplussed, seemingly not impressed with whatever his memories offered him, “They got confrontational and defiant, and apparently weren’t all that gungho about receiving the good ole Winter Soldier treatment. Hydra doesn't have any place for disobedience, so they were put into cryo.”

Steve clenched his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose, troubled with the information, “The doctor, could he control them?” 

Bucky offered a weak shrug, “Enough.”

“Said he wanted to see an empire fall.”

His friend’s hands clenched into fist, “With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, they can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming,” a sardonic grin split across his face as another bitter laugh escaped his lips, “To think Hydra created worse things than me.”

“Bucky.” A soft voice chided behind him.

They turned towards the hallway entrance to find Ms. Lewis standing behind him, hands on her hips, and staring at Bucky reproachfully, disapproving of his disparaging comment. Sam and Steve both watched as the tension disappeared from the man’s body, and the bitter discontent look on his face easing in the presence of his mate. 

Bucky closed the distance between them and pressed an apologetic kiss to her temple, “Didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Darcy shrugged, brushing his hair from his face, “Meh, Nugget was demanding a toilet break. Your guys' loud discussion didn’t have much to do with it,” she admitted without much concern. The omega looked behind her boyfriend to stare at their guest. Raising a fine brow to find Sam and Steve pointedly looking away from their display of affection, “Sup, Captain. Hope you two fellas being here doesn’t mean the cops are close behind.” 

Not that she believed they were the cause of her and Bucky’s current predicament, but she was tired and just wanted all this behind her. 

Steve held up his hands in placation, “No ma’am, I promise it’s just us.” He softly said with a reassuring look.

The young woman mumbled something under her breath, “It’s fine if you just call me Darcy,” she appealed, leaning against Bucky. Darcy looked between the three alphas and settled her gaze on the man next to her, “Is this about the mission of 1991?” 

Bucky froze, wearily looking down at her, “Who told you about that?”

“You did.” 

He bothered a glance at the other two before heaving an exhausted sigh, shoulders slumped with reluctance, “Yeah doll, it’s about that.” 

Sam stepped forward with a curious frown, “What exactly was this mission?” He steadily inquired, sharing a worried look with Steve.

“It was the other thing that that doctor asked me about. Retrieval of the supersoldier serum that created those other Winter Soldiers, which is what I’m guessing he’s after,” Bucky raised a brow at his girlfriend, “I suppose the mention of the serum is what clued you in?” 

Darcy nodded in response before looking towards Steve, “So you guys plan on stepping in to stop some nazi super soldiers from being let loose?” 

“It’s very likely no one’s gonna believe us, so.….” Steve trailed off with an almost helpless shrug.

The young woman nodded in understanding, drawing her lip between her teeth before looking up at Bucky, wringing her hands with uncertainty, “And I’m guessing you’re gonna go with them?” Darcy acknowledged, her pale features twisted with concern.

Bucky threw Steve and Sam a look before turning his back on them, focusing all his attention towards his mate, “You know I have to, Darce.” 

“You really don’t, though. You wanted out as soon as you stopped burning down those Hydra bases, Bucky. No one can make you get back into that mess.” 

Sam gave Steve a look and gestured towards the other end of the room, intent on letting the couple have their privacy. 

“Darce.….”

She hastily shook her head, tucking strands of loose hair behind her ear, “Yeah, I know, you and your noble sense of morality. You and Steve probably wouldn’t have been the bromance of the century if you didn’t share that quality,” Darcy teasingly huffed at him, absently playing with the end of his shirt, “I just don’t want to lose you.”

He gently ran his fingers through her hair, giving her a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine, nothing’s killed me yet so far.” Bucky gave her a small impish grin, trying to uplift her mood.

She snorted and gave him a halfhearted glare, unimpressed, “Asshole,” Darcy muttered, swatting him gently on the chest. With a reluctant sigh, the young woman pulled away to look at the two men silently conversing by the window, “So Captain, what’s your first plan of action?” 

“Well first and foremost, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

* * *

The small car was practically saturated with incredulity and discomfort. Bucky shifted in his seat uncomfortably, making a face as he tried to move his knees in a more eased position without earning another stink eye from Wilson; the alpha reluctantly settled his large bulk into the seat, mulish over their current cramped predicament, “So how secure is this safe house exactly?”

Steve threw him a brief glance through the rearview mirror before focusing back on the road, notably exasperated, “Pretty secure, it’s kinda off the grid. Barton took great measures to keep it that way.”

“And you're sure we can trust this agent Carter?”

“Yes Bucky, Sharon is perfectly reliable. We can trust her to bring us our gear and get Darcy to Barton’s place in one piece,” tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, Steve almost rolled his eyes at his old friend’s pestering, “Don’t worry so much, Sharon isn’t a threat to Darcy. She’ll be fine.” He tried reassuring the man. 

“Hnn.”

Sam raised a brow at the woman in the seat behind Steve, his face light with amusement, “Is he always like this?” He threw an impish grin when Barnes turned to glare at him. 

She smiled right back at him, reaching up to poke her boyfriend’s cheek, “You should’ve seen him in the first month of my pregnancy, pretty sure he was one step away from rolling me up in bubble wrap.” 

The two men snorted as the alpha hunched his shoulders and looked down at his mate with a mulish look, “I was not that bad.”

Darcy raised a brow and gave him a shrewd look, unimpressed, “You wouldn’t let me use the knives for a week.” 

“Well forgive me if I wasn’t so confident in the idea of my clumsy girlfriend continuing to try and handle sharp objects,” He teasingly nudged her side with his elbow, offering a toothy grin at her pout, “and it’s not like I heard any complaining that whole week.”

She flared her nostrils at him, “Cutting my food in advance was a bit excessive.” 

Steve and Sam both shared looks at the exchange, amused and enlightened to the glimpse inside that relationship. Steve intently listened to every word exchanged between the pair, eagerly taking in every last tidbit and insinuation that came with his friend’s relationship; he couldn’t help but once again feel relief, that Bucky at least didn’t spend those two years isolating himself or something, and that his soulmate turned out to be someone as lighthearted, loving and protective as Darcy Lewis.

They all grunted as the small car passed right over a speedbump, wincing as it’s underside grinded against asphalt. Bucky swore under his breath as he once again tried to get comfortable, eyeing his cramped knees before giving Steve an aggravated look, “Jesus Christ, Steve. Of all the cars you could’ve stolen, you just had to take this one.” 

“We are trying to keep a low profile.”

Sam gave him a wide eyed look of misery, “At the expense of our kneecaps? C’mon man.” 

Bucky rolled the kinks in his neck, carefully settling his metal arm around Darcy’s shoulders and glanced at his mate, sighing in exasperation at the look on her face, “Do I want to know the reason for that look on your face?”

Steve and Sam looked up at the question as Darcy reassuringly shook her head, “Everything okay back there, Darcy?” Sam inquired, throwing a brief glance at her over his shoulder.

“Oh yes, nothing to worry about,” The omega gently patted the hand on her shoulder, eyes twinkling with amusement, “I just find Captain America’s espionage methods very interesting is all, no one would possibly think to look for three buff super soldiers -”

“Just an average dude here.” Sam corrected.

“- In a tiny little Buggy. This is like the equivalent of a clown car.” She snickered as Sam threw Steve a look. 

Bucky gently pinched her cheek, “Darcy.” 

“Being this big and tall sure must have their disadvantages.” she tartly sang, cuddling onto his chest with an evil grin on her face.

The man by her side dropped his head onto the backrest and let out a huff, “You’re not seriously still remembering last month’s incident, are you?” He resisted the urge to whine. 

“Oh, you mean the time you put my baking ingredients on a higher shelf and I ended up with a head full of flour?” Steve and Sam exchanged baffled looks, resisting the urge to collectively look back at Bucky in surprise, “No of course not, _sugar_. But it sure is nice turning the tables for once, how are your knees by the way?” Darcy toothily grinned at him, briefly glancing at his cramped legs.

“They’re fine.” He grumbled petulantly. 

“Hmm.” 

_‘ If this is what bickering between these two is like, I’m so glad I wasn’t around for the beginning of it_.’ Sam thought in befuddlement, watching the two cuddle in the backseat as if nothing happened; god knows he wouldn’t have wanted to bear witness to the spectacle that was a twitterpated Barnes in the beginning of a relationship. He raised a brow at Steve, watching as the man merely offered a long-suffering shrug in response

Apparently pouty and obstinate wasn’t news to Steve.

He can just tell the man was just itching with eagerness to know more about Bucky’s life and his relationship, almost seemingly desperate to try and reestablish their packbond. Sam quietly watched as his friend threw curious glances at the couple, an endeavour that wasn’t missed by Barnes himself, judging by the suspicious stink eye he was giving Steve. Sam refrained from saying anything when Steve jutted his jaw, almost as if trying to assuage his burgeoning curiosity.

“So how did you two meet? If I may ask.” 

Sam could almost tell Barnes was one step away from responding with a warning that was almost instinctive, judging by the tension in his shoulders and the way he was just eyeballing Steve, suspicious and a bit untrusting. Darcy on the other hand, looked almost embarrassed, and he did not miss the way she threw a brief frantic look at her partner, almost as if expecting him to spill some beans.

Something told him their first encounter was not something she liked sharing, and for a completely different reason.

“Oh, it’s not that grand of a tale. I was just minding my business, being a proper citizen who wouldn’t intentionally get into any trouble whatsoever, but I’m just one of those people who just can’t help but attract trouble anyways and I found myself in an embarrassing situation. Bucky here just happened to be in the area and kindly saved me from my predicament and we lived happily ever after, the end.”

His brows knitted in perplexion at her answer, and exchanged baffled looks with the man besides him. Sam got the feeling that her tale wasn’t all that accurate.….or was being intentionally obscure about it, something that garnered merit judging by the look and the incredulous raised brow Barnes was giving the short woman tucked by his side.….

Who was pointedly looking away from him.

Sam raised a brow as Barnes sighed and rolled his eyes with exasperation, “That’s Darcy speak for: We met in a library, and I ended up saving her from bashing her head on a trolley cart and being crushed by a bookshelf.” 

Darcy let out an outraged huff and gave him a pout, “Ugh, Bucky! Must you? I’m trying to stick with a story that doesn’t make me sound like a hopeless goof, I want to make a good impression on your friends. What are the children gonna think when they hear that I’m a totally clumsy dumbass?” She cajoled, pale face flushed with embarrassment.

The man besides her let out an unattractive snort, and pulled her closer, “Sweetheart, here’s two things for ya. One: I highly doubt Steve would care of the circumstance of just how we met, and if he does, he better keep that opinion of his to himself -” he paused to give his friend a nasty look, to which Steve responded with a indignated squack, “- and two: The children won’t need to hear the story to know their ma is clumsy,” then he proceeded by giving her a stern look, “Also: Stop calling yourself a dumbass, cause you’re not.”

“Wait, hold the phone! How did she almost get crushed by a bookshelf in the first place?” Sam couldn’t help but gap at the pouting young woman.

“She knocked it down, probably dragged it down with her. How did she manage to do that by herself? I don’t know, but it got me kicked out of the library.” 

Darcy huffed and crossed her arms, slouching in her seat, “I got distracted trying to reach for a book on the opposite shelf. Leave me alone.” Steve could only guess what it was that got her distracted, judging by the blush on her face and Bucky’s smug look. And he couldn’t help the fond smile.

There was a moment of settled silence when Steve spoke up, “Honestly, I’m just surprised you even considered letting yourself get into a relationship, Bucky. I would’ve thought it’d be the last thing on your mind.” 

His friend simply shrugged, looking sheepish as he tried to avoid the knowing glint in his companion’s eye, “Believe me when I tell you he tried, pulled the houdini on me before I could even invite him for coffee,” She gave her mate a shrewd squinty eyed look, pointedly pushing back hair from her face, “And he didn’t accept the invitation until after the third time we’ve managed to run into each other.” 

Sam let out a chortle, “Damn, Barnes. You really made your girl wait?” 

Bucky snorted, “Thought she was an implant.”

“Yeah, until you said and I quote _‘ Too soft and unbalanced, lacks coordination. Likeness of being a Hydra agent 7%_ ’ or something like that.” 

There was a silent pause for a moment, almost as if registering her comment. Steve briefly wondered if there were any other ‘quirks’ Hydra had left Bucky to deal with, and how exactly he managed the first few months of his freedom if a year still had him doing things like this. There was a notable blush to his friend’s cheeks, and the man jutted his jaw in silent stubbornness, almost as if unwilling to let himself be embarrassed, “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

The woman besides him merely reached up and patted his scruffy cheek, looking at him fondly, “Oh honey, you’re not as quiet as you think you are when you start mumbling to yourself.”

Sam thinned his lips, smothering down the ugly snort he wanted to make at the woman’s implications. He was pretty sure he had a good idea of just how the first _‘ I love you_ ’ came about between those two, and judging by Steve’s soppy exasperated face, he was thinking among the same line of thought and found it all very endearing. 

Darcy interrupted any further thought on the matter with curiosity, “So how long do you think it’s gonna take us to get there?”

* * *

“I think we underestimated just how small a pregnant omega’s bladder is.” Sam dryly commented, watching with bemusement as Bucky followed a waddling Darcy to the restrooms. She looked absolutely diminutive next to her partner now that she wasn’t wearing the bulky jacket anymore, having given it back to Barnes to cover up his arm. He turned to look at Steve, worrying and watching as his friend pumped gas into the car, “Think we might make it to the meeting point in time?” He quirked his brow inquiringly.

Steve chewed the corner of his lip, surveying the empty gas station around them, “If we manage to continue the trip without any further bathroom breaks, I think we’ll manage to meet Sharon in time. I hope.….” he paused in consideration, grimacing at whatever came to mind, “Maybe we should keep Darcy from drinking any more water, just in case.” Steve awkwardly added.

“She does seem like a nervous chugger,” Sam exasperatedly agreed, he looked over his shoulder towards where the couple had disappeared to and gently added, “Seems like a nice girl though.” 

His friend smiled in agreement, placing the gas pump back in it’s holder, “Yeah, funny too. No wonder Bucky likes her.” 

Crossing his arms on the roof of the small car, Sam threw him a teasing smile, “Really? I would’ve thought it was because of her dazzling good looks.” He jokingly wagged his brows. Of course he didn’t think that was entirely true, Sam might have some idea of what Barnes might have been like back in the day - the history books and Steve’s nostalgic tales did paint a broad picture of Barnes being a successful lady’s man - but he pretty much figured a pretty face wouldn’t be a top priority to the man nowadays, trust and loyalty? Now that he can see on top of the man’s list. And he figured Darcy must’ve given one hell of an impression if she had Barnes willing to pursue a relationship.

Steve threw an arched brow at him, looking absolutely mystified as he got back into the car, “I’m starting to think those history books are portraying him as some sort of sleeze ball or something. Looks weren’t exactly everything for him, you know.”

He gave the man a cheeky smile, watching as the man crammed himself back in the small space. God, Darcy was right, this thing was like a clown car, wasn't it? “Oh, I know. I spent an unfortunate amount of time in close proximity to them to get that. Dude was willing to bite a cop’s hand off for her after all,” an unpleasant thought came to his mind at the aforementioned topic, Sam gave Steve a grave look, “He’s putting a lot at stake getting involved, you know? Guy’s gonna need someone watching his back - least we want that doctor getting into his head again.”

Steve grimaced at the thought, pressing his lips against his knuckles at the troublesome thought, “I don’t like the idea of negating his choice in helping. And we can’t count him out, not when we need as much help in this situation as possible,” He chewed the corner of his bottom lip in thought before looking up at his friend, “If things turn sideways, and Bucky ends up compromised then.….then we’ll get Wanda to knock him out.” 

“Alright.….alright.” With that, he turned to watch as the aforementioned pair emerged from the bathroom _‘ Did he really just follow her into the ladies restroom???_ ’ he wondered, exchanging puzzled looks with Steve, who seemed to have the same thought as he. 

The couple seemed to be bickering about something, nothing serious, by the looks of it, but it definitely had to be something if it had Barnes looking so frustratingly baffled and Darcy exasperated, “Trouble in paradise?” He couldn’t help but tease, smiling cheekily when his fellow alpha gave him a withering look. 

Darcy gave him a side glance, “Bucky’s being bitchy and overprotective again.” She offhandedly replied as she squirmed her way back into the car, ignoring the chortles that followed. 

Her mate grumbled, following after her and pulling the front seat back up with a pointed thud, “I’m not being bitchy.” 

“You’re being a bit bitchy.”

Steve looked over his shoulder and gave them a look, “Do we want to know?”

“No.”

* * *

They did manage to make it to meeting point, and even before Sharon apparently. The beta got out from her car, keenly eyeing the small group before raising her eyebrows at their choice of car, turning to give Steve an amused look, “Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car.”

Steve gave her an almost playful shrug, “It’s low profile.” 

She raised a brow at him, “Uh huh,” with that she turned her attention towards the short woman, offering her hand out, well aware of the way Barnes was tracking her every movement in his place behind Ms. Lewis, hovering like a brooding, overprotective, spectator, “Ms. Lewis, I’m going to be escorting you. Hope that’s alright with you?”

Darcy eagerly took the offered hand, giving a flippant wave of the other, and threw a look at her partner, entirely aware of his hovering, “No problemo! Honestly, I haven’t been on these many road trips since working with Jane.” 

Sharon smiled, silently charmed and awaited the trip between them. Turning back to the more important topic, she turned towards the back of her vehicle, gesturing at Steve and Sam to come forward, “Hope you guys know the trouble I had to go through to get your stuff, they really do draw a crowd,” she opened the trunk’s door to reveal a familiar shield. 

“I owe you again.” 

“I’ll put it in your tab,” she joked, handing over their respective equipment to Steve and Sam, silently handing Barnes’ suit to Steve, given the man seemed preoccupied with his mate at the moment. Recalling the trouble she had through for him, Sharon turned her attention towards Barnes, “Hey, Barnes. I got something for you,” tossing a familiar ratty backpack in his direction, almost impressed at his quick reflexes when he caught it mid air, “They won’t miss them.….” Sharon reassured Steve at his worried look, “.....Given they’ve already made copies of them, I figured I’d return the originals back to their owner.” The beta pretended to pay no mind to the speechless look on the man’s face.

“You’re really sticking your neck out for us, Sharon.” 

The beta waved off Sam’s concerns, not at all troubled with her own actions or the difficulties she might face, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll manage whatever problem is thrown at me just fine. But you guys got more important business to attend to, so.….” with that, she slowly backed away from the two alphas. Turning her attention to the omega, who was clutching Barnes’ backpack protectively and wrapped in his jacket, “Ms. Lewis, ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” With that said, she swiftly gave her mate a kiss on the cheek and an intense look, almost as if warning him to take care of himself.

Sam and Steve slowly back away from Sharon and Darcy, quietly putting their stuff away. But before Darcy could get into the car, she swiftly looked towards Steve’s direction and pointed her finger at him, “Hey Cap! You bring Bucky back to me in one piece, and you just might get Nugget named after you.” There was a subtle warning in her offer, one that offered potential wrath if he failed in her request.

But one could not ignore the beaming smile that was threatening to make its way onto Steve’s face, and they could only think that he looked like an over excited dog that had received praise, and Bucky couldn’t help but snort at his old friend’s jubilance, “You can count on me, Darcy.” 

With that, she nodded with satisfaction, and gave them a short wave, “Good luck.” Darcy blew Bucky a kiss before getting into the car.

Steve and Sam silently watched as Bucky forlornly waved after the retreating car. Sam was giving Steve a look, pointedly nodding towards his best friend, almost as if encouraging him to pull Bucky out of any potential funk he might be falling into. With a sigh, he went and closed the distance between them, and gently patted Bucky on the shoulder, tilting his head towards the car, “Come on, we don’t have time to waste.”

“Right.”

* * *

The others were waiting for them when they reached the parking garage sixth floor. Clint was watching them - or more importantly, the diminutive car they were in - with quiet perplexion, and a brow that was raised up to his hairline. Wanda was looking just as perplexed as the man besides her, “Hey Cap, was beginning to wonder if you guys might have gotten lost or something.” He greeted.

“Had to drop someone off.” Steve admitted as he got out the car. He couldn’t help but feel relieved when he caught sight of Wanda, offering him a small smile and a wave.

The man pushed away from the car, “Yeah, I heard - Laura’s been eager to host again. Barnes’ girl, right?” he inquired, tilting his head to look at the quiet scruffy looking' man standing next to Sam, barring himself with the car between them. He nodded in greeting when the man threw a glance at him. The quiet sort, eh? Well, can’t say that he can blame him. 

“Yeah. You know I wouldn’t have called if I had any other choice, right?” He felt guilt dragging Clint back into this, when he should be at home with his family, enjoying his retirement. But he wasn’t lying when he said he had no other choice, not when he couldn’t trust the government and Tony to believe anything he said.

Clint snorted, making a dismissive gesture towards the concern, “Hey man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt.” 

With that, Steve turned his attention towards Wanda and offered her a smile, “Thanks for having my back,” checking her over for any sign of anything out of place. His young packmate looked just about alright, if a bit melancholy, but he figured as much considering her predicament, “You doing okay?”

The girl gave a half shrug, “Could be better, Clint managed to knock some sense into me. I figured it was about time I got off my ass.” Wanda offered him a reassuring smile. He felt almost relieved, to find she had her spirits lifting up again

“How about our other recruit?” Sam stepped forward to ask, looking at Clint expectantly. 

The archer rolled his eyes at the mention of their new teammate, letting out an amused chuff as he turned towards the van’s large door, “He's rarin' to go. Had to put a little coffee in him, but.….he should be good to go,” He threw Sam a curious look, “You really oughta tell the story of how you met this guy, the curiosity is killing me.”

“Not happening.”

With a snort, Clint muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like _“ figures_ ” and threw open the door, revealing a disheveled man slumped on the floor. The man jerked awake at the sound of the door slamming open, looking around him with confusion.

“What timezone is this?” 

Clint pulled him up and out of the van, “Come one, up you go.” He muttered with exasperation.

The man seemed to get a sudden spike of energy, eyes widening in amazement when his gaze landed on Steve, and eagerly took the alpha’s offered hand, “Captain America.” Steve pretended to ignore the sound of Bucky's amused snort from his place behind them.

“Mr. Lang.” 

Scott eagerly continued shaking his hand, a wide overjoyed smile etched onto his face, “It’s an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long - ” He let go of his hand with an embarrassed grin, “- Wow! This is awesome! Captain America.….” He looked over his shoulder to offer the girl behind him an equally bright smile, “I know you, too. You’re great, my kid loves you!!” The beta turned his attention back to the man in front of him, clueless to the soft smile his reaction brought onto the young woman, grasping Steve’s broad shoulders with a soft reverent, _“ Jeez_ ” before seemingly snapping out of it, offering Steve a sheepish smile, “Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so.....thinks for thanking of me.” Scott grimaced at his own awkward spew of word vomit.

Intent on changing the topic, he offered Sam an eager wave, “Hey, man!” 

Sam nodded at him in greeting, silently amused at spectacle of Scott’s enthusiastic greeting and fanboying over Steve, and the pained awkward expression it had brought out in his friend in response, “What’s up, Tic Tac?” 

The man merely offered him an awkward smile, “Uh, things have been okay so far. Good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I.….”

“It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again.” 

“Right, right.”

Steve pointedly cleared his throat, calling for Scott’s attention, “They tell you what we’re up against?” 

The beta grimaced, recalling all to clearly the gist of the mission Clint had curtly filled him in with on their way here, “Yeah, something about psycho nazi assassins.” The mere notion of nazi super soldiers and just what they were capable of had sent chills up Scott’s spine when Barton had filled him in on the details, and he could not fathom why someone would want to unleash that sorta thing onto the world.

The alpha nodded in confirmation, “We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man.” 

Scott just shrugged, apparently unbothered, “Eh, well. What else is new?” 

He twitched when a voice called out from behind Captain Rogers, he did not startle at all, no siree, “We should get moving.” Oh god, Scott nearly forgot that the guy was standing there, watching everything. He was so quiet, like a ghost or something - how was he so quiet????. 

He couldn't help but tense at the sound of a voice alarm was suddenly ringing throughout the entire airport, _“ THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. ALL PASSENGERS MUST EVACUATE THE AIRPORT IMMEDIATELY._ ”

He didn’t understand a word that was being said until the man spoke up again, stoically looking at his direction, almost as if completely aware of his cluelessness, “They’re evacuating the airport.” Maybe the guy’s a mind reader?

He felt absolutely twitchy as the Captain and Sam exchanged looks, almost as if aware of something the rest of them weren’t. And Scott couldn’t help but feel a sense of thrill when Captain Rogers turned to address the rest of them, “Suit up.” 

* * *

Bucky was making deft work in tying up his shoe laces when someone softly cleared their throat, drawing his attention, “Are these yours?” He looked up to find Lang looking at him, holding a hand out that was.….holding a bootie. Swiftly checking his pockets to find he only had one on him. With a warning grunt, he snatched the small shoe out of the man’s hand - ignoring the beta’s yelp and jerk of surprise - and checked it over for any snags

Finding everything intact, he slowly looked up to give Lang a look. The man wearily held up his hands, intent on making himself look as harmless as possible, “Look, sorry about the whole touching thing - you really don’t seem like a big fan of it. Just want you to know no harm intended.” He nervously offered, looking to the side at the others - almost as if looking for assistance - and let out a nervous chuckle to find them all occupied with their own equipment. Bucky eyed him for a moment longer before letting out a snort, dismissing the beta as he placed the booties in the pocket from the inside of his jacket, sure that they’d be safer there.

He would’ve thought the beta would return to his own business as he ripped off the jacket's left sleeve, only tensing when the man spoke up again, “So how far along is your mate?” Letting out a gust of breath, the alpha turned to give the man besides him an impatient look. 

Lang seemed entirely unphased. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and shrugged, “Nearly six months.” 

Bucky couldn’t help the bafflement when he received a pat on the shoulder, eyeing the place where he had been touched before looking up to find the man beaming at him, “Congrats, though I gotta warn ya - they get hungrier at this stage.….well, at least my ex did, didn’t like sharing either.”

How is this his life?

Sam couldn’t smother the grin at the sight that greeted him when he thought to check on Barnes. Gently nudging Steve to get his attention, he gestured towards where Barnes was standing when Steve looked up, finding their fellow alpha having his ear chattered off by an overly friendly Lang, “I think he’s making friends.” He jokingly whispered, they both smiled at the sight. 

Honestly, Barnes looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but it was curiosity of whatever the man was talking about that was keeping him on the spot, “Yo, Lang! You’re not starting a dad club while we’re not looking, are ya?” 

The betas eyes lit up, “Is that a thing? That should definitely be a thing.” He didn’t seem to notice Barnes flush of embarrassment.

“A dad club, without me? Well, now I’m just insulted.” Clint quipped with false indignation, checking the state of his arrows. They could all hear Wanda’s snorting giggle from within the van. 

* * *

Laura quietly observed the young woman who sat in her living room, looking downcast, antsy, and worried as she chewed on her own nail absentmindedly, the same anxiety that clung to her since Agent Carter brought her here. She hasn’t moved from her place on the couch after emerging from the shower, wearing the old maternity clothes Laura had offered her, thoughts fixated on her absent mate. The older woman couldn’t help but feel sympathy, understanding perfectly what Ms. Lewis was going through.

Keeping an ear out for how the kids were doing outside, she softly cleared her throat to grab the girl’s attention, offering her an appealing look as the other woman looked up at her in alarm, she extended her a warm cup of tea, “Thought you might like some tea to ease the nerves.” 

Darcy looked down at the offered mug in surprise, “Oh, ah.….thank you,” She gently took it from Laura's hand and inhaled, sighing at the sweet aroma before taking a sip, settling the mug against her stomach, “Can I ask you something?” Darcy quietly asked, watching as she traced her thumb along the mug’s pattern.

Taking a swig from her own tea, Laura gave her a considerate look, “How do I sit here, waiting around anxiously for my own mate to come back. Wondering if he’ll come back at all?”

The younger woman let out a disbelieving laugh, tucking loose damp hair behind her ear, “I swear, I’m not usually this obvious. And god knows I’m definitely not used to be being the woeful wife waiting for her husband to come back from war, sitting around doing nothing,” she pursued her lips in agitation, slurping her tea loudly before blue eyes widened as she turned to look at the woman beside her, “Not that I’m implying that your just some woeful wife or anything! I just meant that -”

Laura waved her off reassuringly, almost amused with the younger omega’s frantic backtracking, “It’s fine, being a housewife is not for everyone I suppose,” Tucking one foot under her leg, thoughtfully taking a sip from her tea, “I’m not gonna lie to you, Darcy. I don’t really have a good handle on it whenever Clint goes out on world saving missions; I just spend the time fretting, distracting myself with chores and the kids, and praying to whatever god that hears me that he comes home safe.”

“You never wish for him to take his retirement seriously?” 

Laura merely shrugged, absently smiling as the family dog, Lucky, set his golden head on her ankle, looking up at her dutifully, “I trust my mate, and understanding that he does this for our family’s sake kinda simmers any wish that he stays home.” She gave her dog a head rub.

“Even if it makes you want to pull your hair out?” Darcy quietly asked, looking at the older woman with somber eyes.

“Even if it makes me want to pull my hair out,” Laura studied her company, noticing the smothered disquiet.

“Feels totally rough though, waiting for your soulmate to come home.”

Laura smiled at that, “Not my soulmate. That title goes to Natasha, really.”

She couldn’t help but feel amusement at the girl’s flush of embarrassment and shock, and watched as the young omega floundered for some sort of response, “Oh uh.….and you’re cool with that?” 

The woman merely waved a dismissive hand, already used to the question by now, “Me and Clint were already married when he met her. He has never been gungho on the whole _‘ you’ll fall in love with your soulmate eventually_ ’ shitz, and they both made it perfectly clear to me they’re perfectly happy being platonic soulmates. What reason do I have to distrust them? At least I know Natasha will protect him at any cost.”

She thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip, absently rubbing Lucky’s head, and wondered if she should speak further on their initiative topic. With a sigh, she leaned forward, “You fear for Barnes, cause this mission is something very personal to him. I’m guessing it also baffles you, that he’d want to involve himself with matters concerning Hydra.”

Darcy tensed at the return of the subject of her concerns, and looked down at the contents of her mug, feeling antsy all over again, “He used to tell me that he never wanted to fight again if he could help it, fears falling into their clutches again, hurting people again.”

Laura gently set her empty mug aside, “I’m not gonna talk as if I understand Barnes’ motives, but I’m gonna guess. He was - _is_ \- a war hero, just like the Captain, Barnes has personal beef with these people and is entirely aware of just what they’re capable of, and therefore doesn’t wish them hurting anymore people, or his family,” She gave the pregnant woman a pointed look, “History books do state he seemed like a protective type of alpha, and maybe the motives just as simple as him wanting to protect the people he cares about.….”

“.....You just have to trust that he’s gonna fight tooth and nail to come back to you.”

With that, the older omega got to her feet, gently patting her hand before picking up the two empty mugs and making her way towards the kitchen, “Hope you’re hungry, got some pot roast that should be ready in a few minutes.” Laura called out, puttering around the kitchen.

Darcy swung an arm on the back of the couch to look at the woman’s back, “I could eat, thank you.” The omega softly replied, pensively resting her chin against her wrist. She felt a bit better now, even if worry over Bucky’s safety and general well being still gripped her; Darcy could understand Bucky’s choice, even if it contradicted everything he spoke of during all the time she’s known him. The man was nothing but honorable and noble when it came down to it, of course he’d get into the thick of it if it meant ridding the world of Hydra; with that thought, she looked down at her belly with a soft smile, “Don’t worry, Nugget. Daddy’s probably kicking some serious nazi butt right about now, and before you know it, he’ll be right back home.”

* * *

_“You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?”_

_Bucky’s brows quirked at the question, “Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?” He wondered, feeling a vague sense of familiarity at the memory._

_Steve’s smile was almost blinding, fond exasperation taking over his pale features, “You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead.”_

_“What was her name again?” The brunet alpha inquired, absentmindedly fidgeting with the strap of his glove._

_He pointedly ignored the look the man next to him gave him, “Dolores, you liked to call her Doll,” Bucky narrowed his eyes at the teasing impish grin that sprouted on his old friend’s face, suspicious as the man teasingly jostled him, “Darcy ever got curious of the many women you dated?”_

_Bucky nonchalantly shrugged, unbothered, “Apparently history books made it a point to mention it, so she’s pretty much aware of it already. Not that it matters anyways, hardly remember most of them and.….” He ducked his head, feeling a rush of warmth at the thought of her, “.....Darcy’s my soulmate, she’s all that matters.”_

_“And the baby, can’t forget that baby of yours,” Steve softly teased, happy with his friend’s happy relationship. With the mention of the pup brought up, he looked down at his boots and thought, “Are you guys really considering naming the pup after me?” The fair alpha gently inquired._

_Steve smiled when he received a reassuring nudge in response, “The name’s been brought up a couple of times. But you never know, Nugget might turn out to be a girl.” He wasn’t swayed at the teasing arch of Bucky’s brow._

_Softly mouthing the endearingly odd nickname, he couldn’t help the persisting smile on his face, “Well I’ve heard 'Stevie' is a pretty common girl name these days.” he playfully jested, persuasively wagging his brows._

_Bucky snorted at the display, playfully shoving the man away from him, “We’ll see what Darcy thinks, that honor is still relying on her terms, after all.” He pulled at the frayed hem of his left sleeve, grimacing at the solemn tone he took the conversation to._

_He hardly flinched when Steve grasped his shoulder, softly nudging him and looking at him with absolute reassurance, “No matter what, you will see her again. Not gonna let anything happen to you, not again,” Steve swore, blue eyes boring into his._

_“Better hope you get me out in one piece then.”_

In one piece. 

‘ _Heh,_ _guess Steve’s out of the list of potential baby names’_ Bucky blinked, warily eyeing his surroundings. He grimaced as he shifted his position, aching, and feeling pretty disoriented, might just be cause he was in shock.....maybe, unexpectedly losing a limb again might do that to you. The alpha didn’t know why his thoughts went back to that moment on the jet, if he were reminiscing fonder memories, he probably would have picked something that wasn’t so tainted with the sense of dread. 

The dread only seemed to worsen when he registered his predicament, turning his head to look at his friend. Bucky eyed Steve, feeling a familiar swell of concern at the sight of his friend crumpled on the floor, struggling to gather his bearings. The man swallowed down blood as Steve looked up at him, looking just as wary as he felt.

He tried to convey the desperation he felt, the sense that he knew he might die here, might not see his mate again, so he only hoped that at least Stark would spare his friend. _‘ Please take care of them for me, keep them safe. And tell Darcy that I love her, will you?_ ’ Bucky hoped he conveyed his thoughts clearly, hoping that if he thought them hard enough, Steve would get the message.

He seemed to, judging by the stubborn jut of Steve's chin. Damn punk wasn’t gonna give up until he was spitting teeth, wasn’t he? Bucky only felt heartbreak that his friend would once again have to witness his death, and this time there wasn’t going to be anything that would bring him back, not the serum, not some nazi scum, nothing. He only hoped that Darcy would forgive him for breaking his promise, and silently anguished at the thought of not seeing her again, never getting to hold her, love her. He never got the chance to finish on that crib he had been working on, however frustrating his attempts were, _‘ Darcy was right, maybe we’re better off with a moses basket_ ’ he idly thought. 

Worst off, he’d never get the chance to meet their pup, and their pup would grow up never knowing him.

The alpha swallowed the lump in his throat, and remained unflinching when a metal red boot clunked in his line of sight. Didn’t flinch at the sight of the steel emotionless face of the man’s mask looking down at him, he just let out an exhausted sigh, already accepting of his fate.

Something yellow and unbearably small caught his sight as he turned his head away, and he let out a shuddering breath when he realized what it was. They must have fallen out at some point after being thrown across the room, and the alpha silently cursed himself for not giving the baby shoes to Darcy when he had the chance, damn him for wanting to keep them on him, if only hoping they’d give him some sense of strength. 

He turned to lean on his left to reach out for them, grinding his teeth as jagged remains of his arm were pressed onto the ground. Bucky didn’t get the chance to grab for them when a metal boot pressed down on his shoulder and roughly pushed him back onto his back. An almost wounded animal sound escaped his throat as Stark reached down and grabbed the booties, rough and uncaring of any potential snagging he might cause.

Bucky didn’t move as the man standing over him inspected the small object. He remained quiet, hoping compliance would at least spare them. Darcy would’ve probably given him a tongue lashing if she knew the higher regard he was holding their child’s clothes than his own life.

The man’s hostility and resentment was practically pungent when the mask disappeared to reveal a sneering face, looking down at him with unbridled contempt, “You so easily moved on with your life, huh? Got a girl waiting for you somewhere, with your little _precious_ bundle of joy. You’d disappear with her to go on with your domestic little life if given the chance, wouldn’t you? Without a care,” the man hissed, leaning down to bare his teeth at him, clenching a metal clad fist around the booties and spat, “You don’t deserve this.” 

He didn’t garner the man a response as the mask came back in place, watching as Stark stood up and turned to address Steve, “Stay down. Final warning.” 

Bucky could only watch as Steve struggled back to his feet, heedlessly determined as he stumbled. He was bloodied, bruised, could barely stand upright where he stood, and yet he stared at Stark unflinchingly in the eye and said, “I could do this all day.” 

The sight triggered something familiar in Bucky’s mind, and he couldn’t help but remember a situation like this - however less dour - multiple times in his life. So instinctively, without thinking of his own precarious predicament, Bucky grabbed onto Stark’s ankle, intent on keeping this man away from Steve.

The attempt swiftly earned the man a kick in the face. 

Steve, finally seeing an opening, swiftly grabbed onto Tony's shoulder and lifted him off the floor - ignoring the man’s flailing metal clad limbs - and threw him across the room. The supersoldier didn’t waste any time to give the man the chance to gather his bearings, and was immediately on him. 

He used all his strength in his shield as he rammed it multiple times onto the suit, batting a grasping hand away as he punched the man’s helmet in retaliation. Steve felt suffocating desperation as he brutally jammed the shield into the suit’s core with a bellow, desperate to disable Tony’s suit and put a stop to his murderous rampage, desperate to save his best friend’s life. Instincts demanded that he take more extreme matters to subjugate the threat, till the beta found himself with no other option than to admit defeat. 

With a rough jerk of his arms, digging the shield deeper and further severing the crack in the suit’s power source, Steve felt a rush of relief as the core’s light finally faded into nothing, finally rendering the suit disabled. Breathing heavily, he reached over to rip off the suit’s mask, finding Tony looking up at him warily.

Steve didn’t know what to say to the man to convey his regret, his disappointment, too tired and unsteady to express any of it. And he couldn’t help the spark of anger and protectiveness as he caught sight of Bucky’s prone body, distressed at his battered and dismembered state, only relieved to find his ears picking up a heartbeat. 

Blue eyes softened with despair at the man under him. Mind reluctantly made up, the alpha leaned forward and growled, baring his teeth in warning, “Don’t ever hurt my pack again.” The message conveyed the rejection loud and clear, and judging by the beta’s paling face of shaken disbelief, he understood it perfectly:

 _Don't expect yourself to become a part of this pack._

With that, Steve reached over and roughly jerked Stark’s fingers open, gently removing the baby shoes from the man’s clutches. He eyed the man briefly before getting to his feet, wincing at the pain thrumming through his body as he picked up his shield, the alpha didn’t bother his old teammate a second glance as he made his way towards Bucky’s still form. 

Relieved to find the man quietly looking up at him.

Gently handing the small shoes over to his friend, Steve pretended to pay no mind to the sound of Bucky’s shuddering breath and the way he desperately clutched onto them as he helped him onto his feet. Making sure his friend’s footing was steady before grabbing the shield and leading them towards the exit, intent on getting Bucky as far away from Stark as possible.

“That shield doesn’t belong to you!” Steve quietly regarded the scathing outburst before continuing onward, intent on ignoring the man’s feeble attempts to rile him up, “You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!” He paused momentarily, straightening his spine and let out a shuddering breath as he promptly dropped the shield without a second thought, grabbing hold of Bucky’s hand and resuming forward towards safety.

Their trek was quiet and tense, almost as if waiting for Stark to make a drop on them again and finish what he nearly succeeded in. Steve frowned, thinking about the look Bucky had sent him, almost as if he entirely prepared to die in that moment; it was disconcerting to think about, the fact his friend had given up when he had spent earlier and the days prior fighting for his life. Did he think himself deserving of the punishment? He unwillingly killed Howard and Maria and therefore he had no right to live, to seek a life of his own? Despite having absolutely zero choice when it came to his time with Hydra. 

“You gave up.” 

The arm around his shoulder tensed, feeling Bucky’s body swell as he exhaled, “Stark had every right to it.” 

The soft admission made his blood boil, “So, what? You were perfectly willing to let him have his way. What of Darcy, you spent the entire time fighting for you and her, how do you think she’d feel if I came back to tell her you stopped fighting?” Bucky had nothing to say to that. He knew he was being unfair, letting his anger and fear overwhelm his judgement, his friend certainly fought until he didn’t have the means to.

For christ sake! He just had his arm blown off, Steve shouldn’t expect so much of his dear friend, especially when the man was so tired of fighting to begin with. 

He gently nudged his head against Bucky’s, apologetic, “I’m sorry, I know you fought as hard as you could. It’s just I.….I just got you back, and I was fucking terrified of losing you again.” Steve had to bite down the whine of distress at the thought. They were fine, Bucky was okay, everything was gonna be okay.

The fair alpha couldn’t help the smile at the soothing rumbling he got in response, and the feeling of his packmate nudging his head back in return, “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.” Tch, figures Bucky would be trying to comfort him when he was the one that just faced a near death experience. 

Helping the man onto the lift, he tried to lift the mood and take their hushed conversation to a more lighter note, “Think Darcy would still want to name the pup after me, or am I gonna get a tongue lashing once she sees the state you’re in?” 

The man raised a brow at him, leaning back into a corner of the lift, “I think - if you’re the slightest bit lucky - she’d be too distracted to give you a second thought.” He briefly lifted the booties to his nose and sniffed, disconcerted at the scent of metal that now overwhelmed it. Bucky had to resist the urge to violently rub his cheek on them, just to get rid of that damned stench. 

Steve immediately took notice to the man’s unpleasant sneer, and tried to redirect his friend’s thoughts back to the conversation, “Well, considering my luck? The worst that can happen is her not wanting me around you and the baby anymore.”

Bucky let out an ugly snort, perplexed at the ludicrous assumption, “Nah, she’s not like that. At worst, she’d give you a cold shoulder.….and cocoa and a blanket, cause she really can’t help but mother hen the people in her life.” 

“You two are just a match made in heaven, aren’t ya?” He couldn’t help but tease.

The smile didn’t leave when Bucky quietly grumbled, “Shut up.” 

The rest of the trek was spent in silence, with Bucky deciding to fall into a mute state. Steve didn’t know if he should be concerned with his friend’s sudden unsettling silence, wondering if the man were more grievously injured than he initially thought. It wasn’t for a moment that he realized the reason why he found Bucky’s sudden silence so unsettling: He’s been at the receiving end of this sort of silence, back in DC, back when he was mere prey to him, literally being hunted as he struggled to take Natasha to safety.

“Bucky?”

His inquiry only garnered a low guttural growl, the long haired alpha growing all the more tenser in his grip, “The prince is waiting out there.” A wary sneer was on his bloodied face, looking minutes away from baring his teeth like a cornered animal.

Steve dropped his head with a grimace, mentally rallying up any remaining tenacity and strength he had left, “Okay, we’ll be okay. We got this.”

Bucky looked just about as confident in the statement as he felt, “Steve, I don’t know if you’ve failed to notice. But we’re kinda at our last wits here.”

He pursued his lips in thought, and slowly nodded, gently settling Bucky against the wall. Ignoring his friend’s disconcerted look, Steve gave him a reassuring smile, “Just wait here, I’ll go and talk to him.”

“Steve -”

“And if that fails, I’ll take care of it.”

Bucky looked him in the eye intently, almost mulling something over to himself before something altogether alarming flashed through his pale eyes, “Fine, but if you think I’m letting you face him by yourself, you got another thing coming, punk,” he straightened his shoulders and gave him a bloody tooth smirk, “Can’t let you face all my problems for me.”

Steve shook his head at him, still worried over his friend’s wellbeing, “You do know this guy has been out for your blood relentlessly, right?” 

The brunete let out a dismissive snort, “Eh, like that’s any news to me.” Steve almost scoffed at the other’s airy tone, almost as if uncaring of the upcoming threat. Bucky pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against with a wince, stubbornly standing tall despite looking seconds away from collapsing. The vehement look he gave Steve kept him from protesting any further. 

They were both tense as they made their way towards the entrance, footsteps utterly silent and ears open for any noise. Steve made sure to cover Bucky’s left side, intent on keeping T’Challa from taking advantage of an open weak spot. His palms were clammy underneath his gloves, heart pounding and blood pumping loudly through his veins; briefly looking over his shoulder, he was met with Bucky’s stoic face, and for a moment, Steve wondered what was going through his friend’s mind, to be so utterly calm in the face of another deadly situation.

Nervously licking his lips, Steve turned his attention away from the man and back towards the entrance, silently stalking towards it to peer outside. He was puzzled for a moment, when he found the black clad figure of the wakandan prince standing there, almost as if patiently waiting for them, a few feet away from a restrained Zemo; he stepped out fully to study the man, finding no signs of hostility in him, “Your highness?” Steve called out hesitantly, almost holding his breath, almost unaware of Bucky stepping up to stand by his shoulder.

T’Challa turned around to look at him, eyes briefly glancing at his friend before offering a reassuring smile, hands held up to reveal non clawed hands, “At ease, Captain. I am not your enemy, not anymore,” the prince gently cajoled, before turning to address Bucky, “Sergeant Barnes, I wanted to apologize for all that has happened,” his voice was earnest as he spoke to the man, feeling guilt at the sight of Barnes’ tense shoulders and suspicious frown, “Your mate spoke the truth when she said you were framed, but I refused to believe you were blameless of my father’s murder, I know now his death was the result of Zemo’s machinations.” He paused to throw the aforementioned man a derisive look. For one who had lost his own family, Zemo certainly didn’t have any qualms with destroying families of others, too blind in his quest for revenge to care. To think he would’ve almost done the same.

“And it was you and the Captain who led me to uncover this truth. For that, I wish to offer you my assistance,” He stood tall and breathed, looking Barnes intently in the eye, ready to make an offer he knew was a very sensitive matter to the man before him, “The mental programming you were forced to endure, transforming you into Hydra’s weapon - I may know someone in my country that can assist in purging your mind of it.”

Both alphas jolted in surprise at that, and Barnes paled, looking back at him with near disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe his offer were true, “I - I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” The man stumbled over his words, and Steve shifted closer to his friend in case the man keeled over in shock. 

T’Challa offered a friendly smile, “It’s the least I can do," He extended something small towards Steve's direction, waiting for him to take it before continuing, "That is a chip with coordinates to my country, you will need it. I’d take you there myself, but I am required to deliver Zemo to justice,”

“Not that I’m not grateful for the offer, your highness. But aren’t I a wanted man in your country?”

The dark skinned alpha shook his head in reassurance, “I had sent the news of the king’s actual murderer to my accompanying guard, Ayo. She’ll deliver the message to my mother. As of now, your name has been cleared to Wakanda,” He paused for a moment, almost hesitant as he looked between the two supersoldiers, before asking, “I have to ask, but is Stark still.….”

“He’s fine, the suit had to be disabled.” 

The prince nodded grimly, not obvious to the Captain’s curt tone, “I see. Well then, I will ensure that Stark would be delivered back home to face his punishment for his violation of the Accords,” He pursued his lips in thought, looking unimpressed, “Though given his status as a wealthy white man, I feel like there wouldn’t be much consequence for him.”

Barnes scoffed in response. T’Challa took notice of how the man was slowly listling to the side, leaning his weight against his packmate. The prince had to wonder just how grievous the man’s injuries actually were, feeling a spark of concern as he eyed the man, “I should not keep you any longer, Captain. A medical team awaits you upon your arrival.”

Steve didn’t know what to say to express the extent of his gratitude, and simply offered a soft, “Thank you.”

* * *

“Ma’am, I hate to tell ya this. But I don’t think that stuff will work on him anymore.” Steve mumbled warily, watching as his friend eyed the aged woman - who had introduced herself as Dr. Imani - intently as she administered anesthesia into his system. They already used nanites of all things [God, Stark would be frothing at the mouth for this sort of technology] to repair any internal damage, now it was just a matter of taking care of the damage done to the arm. He wondered how Bucky was feeling, if the situation was reminding him of his time with Hydra at all.

He couldn’t help but feel drained when they had arrived here, and T’Challa had made good on his promise, a medical team and a few guards had been waiting for them when he had requested entry to Wakanda. They were quick to treat any superficial injuries on the both of them, and made preparations when they evaluated the extent of the damage in Bucky’s destroyed arm. But still he could not find it within himself to relax, still unaware of his team’s wearabouts, the state of their wellbeing, and other loose ends left to take care of. 

The woman beside him gave a reassuring smile as she pulled the needle away, setting it on the tray beside her, “Well Captain Rogers, this anesthesia was manufactured with the Black Panther’s physiology in mind. So hopefully it would have some effect on your friend, we rather he go through the procedure in as little pain as possible.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, ma’am, if it doesn’t work out. Continue the operation if ya have to, I’m used to the pain,” Bucky gruffly and quietly admitted, almost sounding like he was forcing himself to speak. Steve grimaced at the admission, perturbed and pained at his friend’s disregard of his own comfort, and once again feeling that spark of hatred for Hydra and everything they had put Bucky through. The doctor seemed just as displeased, her mouth thinning in thinly veiled contempt and muttering _“ Well that just won’t do_ ” under her breath. Bucky was quiet for a moment, before he was blinking in surprise, looking down at his arm with astonishment, “Well I’ll be damned.” He muttered to himself.

The doctor patted his hand, “Like I said, Sergeant Barnes. We rather you feel as little pain as possible.”

“That’s awful nice of ya,” Bucky spoke with awe, turning to look up at him, “Stevie, ain’t Dr. Imani nice?” Steve felt a pang in his chest at Bucky’s astonishment, almost as if shocked at the insistent kindness shown to him. He gave the man a half smile as he watched the tension drained from Bucky’s body, the anesthesia finally taking effect.

“Yeah Buck, she’s really nice.”

“Darcy would love this place. You know she’s a real tech nerd, my Darcy - she’d be so curious of everything, asking questions by the second, and god she can rave on when she - ” His babbling was cut off entirely, his face falling blank as if a thought suddenly came to mind to interrupt his train of thought. Steve was almost alarmed at the sudden silence, wondering if the anesthesia had caused a negative effect in him. The alpha twitched when a pair of pale blue eyes intensely fixated on him, “Steve. Where is Darcy?”

He couldn’t help but fidget under the intense gaze, exchanging glances with the doctor who silently mouthed _“ Don’t agitate him_ ” at him, “She’s at Barton’s place, remember? Where she’ll be safest.”

“You saying she’s not safe with me?” Bucky’s face twisted into something ugly, and the silence of the room was filled with a low rumbling growl. Steve noticed a pair of guards tensing in the corner of his eye, ready to intervene at moments notice

He held his hands up, hoping to placate his friend, “No, Bucky - I’m not saying you’re a danger to her. The situation was.”

The rumbling quieted, and he could only feel relief when the man’s glare softened, “I want to see Darcy.” He quietly demanded, voice garbled with a guttural growling, slumping back onto the chair he was sitting on.

“Okay, you will.”

That only seemed to agitate his friend, “I want her here, _now_ ,” Bucky’s eyes seemed to be glazing over by the second, his movements slow and sluggish as the drug took further effect on him, “I want Darcy.” He softly mumbled, eyes struggling to stay open. Soon enough, the only thing coming out of Bucky’s mouth was, guttural growling, trilling, and unintelligible mumbling.

The woman besides him gently patted his hand, “Don’t worry Sergeant Barnes, you’ll see her soon enough,” Gesturing the team that had been quietly working in the background to move the now unconscious alpha, she gave him a questioning look, “I’m guessing this Darcy is his mate?”

He quickly nodded in confirmation, watching as his friend was removed from the room, “Soulmate too. I’m starting to think this is the longest they’ve ever been separated.” 

“Perhaps it’s best that you make good on your promise and retrieve her? He’d be more at ease with one of a familiar face and scent,” She gently suggested, leading him out of the medbay, “I’ve only done a brief reading on his file to prepare myself on how to handle a feral with his background, they are a very uncommon sort.” Steve clenched and unclenched his hands, hunching his shoulder, uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Bucky alone with people he isn’t sure he could trust entirely. 

The doctor seemed to get the gist of his reservations, and gave him an understanding smile, “I know you fear for his safety, Captain. But isn’t it better to do this now rather than later, for both his and her sake? You can trust me to take care of him in your absence, he was brought here to be put under our care after all. On my future king’s honor.” 

Steve studied Imani’s earnest face intently before running a hand down his face, heaving out an exhausted sigh, “Yeah - I uh, I think it’ll be best. I’m a bit more worried about the idea of him waking up alone and.….reacting violently though.” It was a great possibility, god knows how a disoriented Bucky would react to waking up in a strange place with no familiar face in sight.

The doctor gestured towards the stoic faced women behind him, “That’s what the Dora Milaje are here for.” 

“Right.….right. Thank you for your help.” He stumbled, giving her a grateful nod of the head, before turning towards the exit. The man didn’t say anything further when one of the Dora Milaje stuck to his side and escorted him from the premises.

Both doctor and remaining warriors watched the broad expanse of his retreating back before exchanging looks, almost unimpressed, “He’s a lot more awkward than I expected. Especially for one who calls himself _Captain America_.” One dryly noted 

“I suppose he does have a certain charm.….for a white man.” Another added.

Doctor Imani rolled her eyes, opting out of participating in the gossip and heading back inside. She had an operation to conduct, and couldn’t deign to leave her patient waiting another moment longer. 

* * *

Darcy could hear the jet before she set her eyes on it as she rushed for the front door, absently aware of Laura following close behind. They both held their breath as they eyed the descending jet from their place on the porch, and tried not to fall into panic when Steve emerged from the jet alone, looking almost hesitant to close the distance between them.

“Steve?” She called out, feeling trepidation as Laura squeezed her hand, feeling just as anxious as she at the lack of other familiar faces. 

He paused at the first step, gauging the state of their well being until he turned his gaze towards Laura, “So how are the kids?”

The two women exchanged looks at the man’s deflection, already honing in on his haggard and exhausted appearance, “They’re fine, could be better knowing when their dad comes home.….Steve, where’s Clint?” Brows furrowed in concern, wrapping her arms around herself as she took in the large alpha’s defeated stance, “And where’s the rest of the pack?”

“It’s alright! They’re all fine, mostly.….that I’m aware of,” He cringed, trying to reassure them. Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, like he was trying to stave off a migraine, “Bucky’s in Wakanda recovering, and Clint and the others were detained. They surrendered themselves to give me and Bucky a chance to get to Siberia, I’m sorry.” 

Laura let out a shuddering breath, fretfully wringing her hands at the news of her husband’s current status, “You will bring him back, right? Clint and Wanda both?” 

The supersoldier nodded earnestly, quick to reassure her, “Of course I will. I don’t intend on turning my back on them, not after I got them in this mess to begin with,” Steve gently grasped her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze, “I promise, I will bring them back to you.”

She patted his wrist, giving him a grateful - if a bit pained - smile, “Thank you, Steve,” she bowed her head, and let out another shuddering breath before nodding towards the quiet omega worriedly standing next to her, “I’m guessing you’re here to pick up Darcy then?”

Clearing his throat, he gave her a tense nod of the head, “Bucky’s not exactly in the best state of mind right now, and he’s been demanding to see her.” 

“Alright, I’ll get her things.” With that, Steve and Darcy watched with concern as Laura went back inside and Steve felt guilt swell in his chest at upsetting the woman. 

Darcy turned to give Steve a look of consideration, roving her eyes over his body - as if the state of him would give her any more answers - before raising a brow expectantly at him, “How is Bucky, really?” 

Placing his hands on his hips, shoulders slumped in defeat as the alpha let out a huff, “Like I said: Not in the best state of mind. Fell quiet halfway through our trip to Wakanda, and resorted to making nonverbal noise when pressed, only time he start talking was when they administered anesthesia,” judging by the agitated look that briefly made its way onto her face, she wasn’t surprised at the development, “I’m guessing this has happened before?”

“He’s had his bad days where he wouldn’t say a word the whole day through. Growls, chirps and grunts? There was plenty of that, like civil behaviour would take a back seat and he’d just be.….you know.” The omega shrugged, giving him a beseeching look, as if he’d know what she was referring to. Oh he knew alright, Steve had witnessed the more violent side of that sort of behaviour two and a half years ago. 

They both looked up at Laura’s reappearance, holding out Bucky’s backpack, “I packed some of my old maternity clothes in there, you might need them.” She quietly claimed, handing the backpack out for Steve to take.

“You really didn’t have to.” 

“I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I won’t be having any use for them any time soon so,” With that, she offered Darcy a tight embrace, “Take care of yourself, okay?” 

Darcy nodded quietly in response, hugging the older woman back and murmured, “Thank you for having me.”

The woman smiled fondly before turning her attention towards Steve, “You watch over her, will ya? I’m pretty sure your friend will have a lot to say if he finds so much as a scratch on her,” She smirked when that garnered collective snorts from the both of them, watching as Darcy stepped down the porch with a smile, “And I trust that you’ll bring Clint back to me safe and sound?” 

Steve gave her a small smile, placing a protective arm around Darcy’s shoulder, “You have my word.” 

…...o……

Darcy quietly eyed the jet she was sitting in, eyes briefly pausing at the stoic woman sitting at the controls before turning her gaze towards the man in front of her, “So.….how exactly did we end up getting Wakanda’s help? Last time I checked, their king to-be was blindly out for Bucky’s blood,” she noticed the way the woman bristled at her words and quietly added, “No offense.”

They have been in flight for what seemed like a couple of hours now, and she could not lie if she said her anxiety was slowly mounting higher and higher the longer she went without seeing Bucky. Especially with Steve’s cryptic response concerning her mate’s physical well being. 

“T’Challa found out about his father’s actual murderer when we were in Siberia. I guess him offering this is just his way of apologizing to Bucky.” He gently offered with a half shrug.

She quietly fooled around with a loose thread at her sleeve for a moment, taking in the alpha’s words, “You never did tell me what it was that Bucky needed immediate attention for.” Darcy softly cajoled, absently straightening her shirt where it bunched up over her distended belly. 

The woman did not feel any reassurance at the pained look on Steve’s face, and silently braced herself as he took a breath before speaking, “Stark managed to follow us to Siberia, just like T’Challa,” Darcy felt confusion and foreboding at the mention of the billionaire, wary of his involvement in the situation, “He found out the truth about the situation, so he had offered us his help. Apparently that’s what the man we were after had wanted all along,” she silently watched as the man pinched the bridge of his nose, “Helmut Zemo lost his family to the catastrophe in Sokovia, and wanted his revenge on the Avengers. He never had any intention of releasing those supersoldiers as we initially thought, he wanted to break the Avengers apart - _‘ See an empire fall ’_ as he said,” 

“Stark found out Hydra had had his parents murdered.”

Darcy felt like she had been sucker punched when the realization of just he was telling her had hit her, and she could only look at him in horrified disbelief, “Steve, please tell me that what you’re implying to me isn’t true.” 

“I tried to stop it from happening, tried to reason with him. Stark wouldn’t have it.” 

“He tried to murder Bucky, is that what you’re telling me? Stark didn’t jump to the conclusion that he was being played like a puppet, but instead did exactly what that shitface asshole expected of him? Is that what you’re telling me Steve?” She could feel her heart racing as boiling anger mounted inside her, looking at the man sitting across her with aghast. 

“Me knowing is what set him off.”

That did not make things better, “Oh, so he went after Bucky to punish you?!”

Steve looked at her almost pleadingly, “Darcy, try to understand. For over twenty years, he thought his parents death had been due to an accident, and he just now finds out it wasn’t, one could understand why he wouldn’t take it well.”

She immediately jumped to her feet, slapping away the offered hand as she stumbled, “I don’t care! I don’t fucking care! He attempted to murder someone just as much as a victim as his parents, Steve!! Don’t tell me he didn’t know what Bucky went through. For christ sake - you defend him as if attempted murder were a natural response to this sort of shit, it’s not! Natural would’ve been panic attacks, screaming his lungs out at you, never wanting to have anything to do with either you or Bucky, hell! He could cut you out of his life, all that would’ve been more reasonable than _attempted murder_!” Darcy could feel her eyes sting with tears as she gripped her hair, trying to get a handle of her emotions, “Damnit all, Steve! How could you defend him when he tried to kill your best friend?!” She pressed her palms against her mouth, as if that would be enough to hold in the desire to sob.

Darcy could barely register Steve gently easing her back into her seat, emitting a soft comforting rumble as he gently asked her to breath along with him to ease her racing heart and mind. She clenched her eyes tight, willing her heart to slow down as he combed his fingers into her hair, soothingly massaging her temples.

Steve bit his lip and could only watch with concern as the pregnant omega keened, wrapping her arm around her belly and shutting out everything around her. The alpha was unsure if the young woman was aware that she was calling out for her mate, and only felt more guilt at causing this reaction in her. He looked up when the woman piloting the jet softly called out, almost as if refraining from agitating the young woman further 

“Captain, I’d like to warn you that this jet is not equipped to handle any impromptu childbirth. So do refrain from distressing the omega into premature labor.” The Dora Milaje scorned. 

He gave a grimace, replying with a soft guilty, “Right.” Before returning his attention back towards the omega in question; Darcy had gone quiet, absently rubbing circles on her stomach with her thumb. Brows furrowed with a determined frown, Steve briefly got up and sat himself on the chair next to her, cautiously wrapping an arm around Darcy’s slim shoulders and easing her to rest against his side, almost sighing in relief when he received no resistance from her.

Steve kept his cheek well away from rubbing fully against her skin, knowing perfectly well that Bucky might have an adverse reaction to another alpha’s scent - even that of an old packmate’s - on his mate as he gently started nuzzling her temple with his, rubbing small circles into her shoulder with intent on comforting her, “He’s alright, Bucky made it out okay. I’m sorry I caused you distress,” He murmured. 

The rest of the flight was spent in silence.

* * *

Darcy almost felt cowed at the magnificence of her surroundings, deftly keeping herself from gaping and swerving her head to take in every inch of the medical facility like an awestruck idiot. She kept close to Steve, nervously clutching his wrist as they were led towards where Bucky was being kept for recovery, briefly eyeing the armed woman who escorted them.

Her mind was still reeling from the conversation she had with the man besides her over the events that had transpired in Siberia, Darcy couldn’t say she was fine with his excuses over Stark’s actions once she calmed down, still felt that angry indignation that he would even try, but right now she was far more concerned over her mate’s wellbeing than to dwell on her anger.

The omega twitched in surprise as the bald woman spoke, turning to look at them as they came to a stop, “I shall warn you that Sergeant Barnes has awoken agitated and has become unresponsive and aggressive towards our attempts to calm him. Do take some caution.” She quietly warned, before taking a step back to stand at attention by the entrance with her fellow Dora Milaje.

Darcy didn’t take heed to the warning as she made her way towards the door, anxious and eager to finally see Bucky, and ignored Steve’s call as she hastily made her way inside. The room was spacious and lit with a warm dimmed lighting, looking more like a particularly fancy hotel room than something you’d find in a hospital. And sitting forelonly at the edge of the large bed was Bucky, slouching forward with his chin against his chest and arm resting on his leg, every inch of him tense and agitated at being in an unfamiliar place.

She could tell the instant he became aware of her presence as he tensed further, nostrils flaring at her scent and swiftly looking up towards the entrance where she stood. And Darcy couldn’t stand to stay still any longer when he sat up and trilled at her, rushing forwards to close the space between with arms reaching out and eagerly grasping onto his outreached hand before throwing her arms around his neck, cupping the back of his head and letting out a shuddering breath as he wrapped his remaining arm around her, trying to erase every inch of space between them.

“It’s okay, we’re okay.” Darcy softly reassured, nuzzling his hair as he burrowed his head under her chin and snuffling at her exposed neck. She didn’t mind his nonverbal state of mind, having already been made aware of his state beforehand, silently chirping back at him as she rubbed her cheek against his temple before pulling back to look at him, gently cradling his face in her hands.

She smothered down a distressed whine at his haggard state, eyes and hands gently roaming over the healing scrapes and bruises. Darcy refrained from looking at the black cap that covered the remains of his arm, heart aching at the thought of the situation that had led to that moment, the thought of him fearing for his own life, any self hatred he might have felt that made him feel he might have deserved it - cause of course she knew he would think it, however briefly.

Bucky let out a gruff chirp as she kissed his brow, finding himself drained of any remaining distress and anxiety he felt when he had woken up alone, his pack and mate nowhere in sight. Didn’t matter anymore, his mate was with him once again, and could detect the scent of their pack leader standing by the entrance, who had surely been providing protection to his vulnerable mate in his current inability to properly do so, and for that he was grateful. 

He gently nudged her forehead with his, drawing her attention. Easing her concern with a small reassuring smile and gently nuzzling her nose with his, Bucky pulled out the small dusty little booties that had been sitting in his pocket, foggy recollections of a strange omega gently tucking them away with a smile before everything had gone dark. The alpha offered them to his mate before wrapping his arm around her again, watching as she gently took them from him and eyed them with a tearful smile, and gave a pleased rumbling growl at the press of her lips against his.

Steve quietly watched the touching reunion with what Sam would aptly call a _‘ Soppy expression_ ’ when Dr. Imani quietly approached him, “He didn’t hurt anyone, did he?” He quietly inquired, careful not to disturb the couple.

He felt relieved when she shook her head in reassurance, “No, he was alone when he had woken up. We thought it best to leave him be when our intentions to evaluate his health were met with aggression, in hopes he'd calm down with time. Either way, Princess Shuri already has all she needs to proceed with the dismantling of Sergeant Barnes’ programming.”

The man felt almost shocked to hear it was the princess who would be taking on Bucky’s care, and looked down at the woman with surprise, “Already?”

Dr. Imani looked almost proud, “Indeed, the princess is pretty ambitious. She’ll most likely have him freed of those shackles by the end of the month. And she has shown interest in involving herself in his rehabilitation,” She shrugged, not surprised in the slightest by her princess’ eagerness for a distraction, given she was still processing her father’s death. The woman looked up at the tall alpha besides her, “Prince T’Challa wishes to speak with you by the way, as soon as you’re able.” 

  
  


He quietly watched the pair, unsure if he should leave them until Darcy looked over her shoulder to give him a reassuring look, making it clear to him that she had been listening to their conversation and was giving him the okay to leave, that she’d have everything under control. Probably for the best, she had every business in knowing the plans for Bucky’s recovery as much as he did. And he nodded in acquiesce, offering the doctor a soft _“ thank you_ ” before turning to leave the room to find someone waiting to escort him.

He found T’Challa waiting by a large set of windows, offering a view of the foggy jungle of Wakanda. Steve silently revered in the beautiful scenery, taking in the obscured figure of a panther statue as he walked to stand by the prince’s side, patiently waiting for the man to speak.

“Zemo will be facing trial for his actions, I ensured that much,” T’Challa offered, hands clasped behind his back as took in the sight, listening to the sounds of his home, “I took the measures of finding where your team is being kept.” He pretended to pay no mind to the sound of the man’s shuddering breath of relief.

Steve’s shoulders slumped in relief, “Thank you.”

T’Challa gave him a tentative smile, before it disappeared entirely, replaced with a grave look, “They are being kept in a submerssive prison called ‘The Raft’. It concerns me that they had been placed in a detainment facility that is highly undetectable and unknown to the public, reserved only for the worst of criminals.” T’Challa frowned at the thought, mind going back to the Accords. They were supposed to offer oversight, accountability, but the more he learned of the methods enforcing the Accords, the more doubtful he became of them entirely.

He was undisturbed when the air was filled with the sound of rumbling, not surprised to find the fair alpha displeased by his pack’s disconcerting whereabouts, “Do you know where it is?” 

“Indeed, one of our war dogs has kept tabs on information concerning the raft. They’ll be able to assist you.” He offered.

Steve gave him a conflicted look, “I don’t want to get you into any more trouble than I already have.”

The prince let out a snort and shrugged off the concern, untroubled by any problems that may arise, “This is not how my father wished the accords be implemented, Captain. And I do not wish for people to suffer an unjust sentence that I had managed to avoid,” If the rumors were true about the raft, the more urgent it was that the Captain’s team be removed from it, “Assistance will be ready for departure as soon as you are prepared.”

“You really don’t have to do this, you know.” And it confounded Steve, how much help this man was willing to offer him so freely. When he had expected the help to only extend towards helping Bucky, the only person T’Challa had wronged.

T’Challa merely offered him a half grin, almost befuddled at the man’s continuous resistance, “You have great trouble accepting help where it’s freely offered, don’t you?”

Steve querked his brows in response, “Just figured it’d be offered only where Bucky’s concerned, is all. It’d be rude to expect more from you.” 

“Well Captain, you’re in for a surprise,” With that, he turned his attention back towards the view before him, quietly pondering before speaking, “How does your friend and his mate fair? I have yet to take the opportunity to check in on them.” And offer the woman an apology, he’d be sure to do that when he did go to see them.

A small smile appeared on the fair alpha’s face, “He seems to be doing better now that he’s sure Darcy isn’t in any danger. I swear, he melts like butter where she’s concerned,” He had his fears that Bucky would consider severe measure when it came to his recovery, where it had seemed that his friend would request a cryotube or something if a solution wasn’t found soon enough, he wondered what the man was thinking now that the princess already had one in the making. Steve gave T’Challa a grateful look, “I have to thank you, for this.” 

“Your friend and my father, they were both victims. If I can help one of them find peace.….” He smothered a sigh at the thought of his father, finding himself yet again reeling at the knowledge that he’d never see him again.

Steve’s brows knitted in concern, seemingly aware of where his thoughts had gone to. The man had to admit, his fellow alpha seemed pretty intelligent when it came to other people, and never seemed to lack sympathy in the slightest, “You know, If they find out he's here.….they'll come for him.”

T’Challa smirked, utterly confident on the contrary, “Let them try.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Fun Facts:
> 
> \- JCTC stands for Joint Counter Terrorist Center
> 
> \- Steve must be one hell of a likable guy, if his friends mostly consist of other fellow alphas that he gets on perfectly fine with.
> 
> \- The hc of Steve cheating at poker when he's feeling petty and leaving his Howlies to sleep naked with the mosquitos came from the story "Truth, Justice, and the Cheating Cheater Way" by Owlet. That story still makes me giggle.
> 
> \- It was surprisingly difficult to think up ways to make Bucky stand out more in terms of being feral, compared to what would constitute normal behaviour in the ABO world. Things like threatening to tear out someone's jugular, intensely staring you down into submission, public scenting, hunting, and overall sounding like a wild animal are things that separate Bucky from everyone else. I just suck at portraying them as odd.
> 
> \- The slap in the face that must've been when Tony's "So was I" comment to Steve's "He's my friend" gets him a rejection of a worse kind: Tony rejected Steve as a friend, Steve rejected him as a potential packmate.


End file.
